Hidden In Plain Sight
by JeanBlythe
Summary: Someone has tried to murder Steve and convince everyone that a body found is Danny's. But Five-0 realizes there is hope that Danny is not dead. They begin a frantic search, with scant clues to go on. How will they keep up hope that they will find him? What they do not know is that Danny has been locked away and abandoned. He must try to escape. But time is short. NOT A DEATHFIC!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 "Discovery"**

 **A/N** : (25 July 2016) This story will follow up just before Christmas 2016, roughly 6 months after "Actions Speak Louder Than Words", so technically we are into Season 7, but I'm following my own path here. I'm not following the teasers we've been given about the new show, but instead am heading into an idea I got while writing the first story. The stories stand alone, as long as it is known that Lou is no longer an active member of Five-0. Everything will be explained in due time, including things that were left unexplained in Actions Speak. Steve and Danny are back at work. They have healed.

This is more of a prologue, but I labeled it Chapter 1 because the files get huffy if the chapters aren't labeled from 1 onward. It's short, but prologues usually are! Also, this forces me to keep going :-D Can't back out now!

I fully intend on letting this story take its time. That doesn't mean infrequent posting. What it means is this isn't intended to be short. If you want something short and quick-ending, this isn't that story.

I really hope you enjoy this! It is great to be back writing!

The usual disclaimer: I don't own H5-0. I borrow their characters for fun, not profit.

 **Chapter 1 "Discovery"**

Tourists did not always have perfect experiences in Hawaii, especially those couples in their earliest twenties who decided to take a drive to nowhere in the middle of the night. Jason and Susan Palmer were about to have their honeymoon ruined, but of course they didn't know it. To them, they were on a rented motorcycle, tearing down a forested stretch of pavement far from town, with a steep embankment down to the ocean on their right, and the thrill of speeding on a remote road, together, celebrating too much cheap champagne at their impromptu wedding earlier that evening. It was now nearly 2am, on December the 21st. Technically, this was the second day of their honeymoon, even though they had only been married about 9 hours.

The moon was as high as their spirits, but their moods had nothing to do with the misty black veiling clouds that had been showering the road and the couple with short-lived but intense rain showers now and then. Whenever it rained, they pulled over under a patch of covering trees and kissed like the newlyweds they were until the moon came out again. Then they would remount the motorcycle, and onward they went, feeling like their lives ahead would be as blissful as they had been feeling since saying "I do" to one another just as the sun set on Waikiki beach. Jason was in white pants and tame Hawaiian shirt under his leather jacket, and Susan wore white skinny jeans and a flowy white top under a matching leather motorcycle jacket.

Suddenly, Susan yanked on Jason's leather-clad arm before pointing just to the right of where the road made a curve to the left. "Pull over," she shouted, and Jason did, for he too had seen what she had up ahead. There was fire and smoke far down the right embankment. They could smell vegetation and something rubber and metal burning.

"Crap, honey, what do you think that is?" asked Jason after he stopped the cycle and took off his helmet, not expecting an answer as his pony-tailed dreadlocks settled down his back. "Oh no. I think I see skid marks."

"Yeah," echoed Susan, holding firmly to Jason's arm. Her long blonde hair was being whipped around by a breeze coming off the water, but she shivered from the tire tracks she saw just beyond the pavement. They looked indistinct, as if they had been rained on. "I definitely think a car went over here. There's not that much fire, though. Maybe it happened awhile ago."

There was a low moan from nearby, from someone clearly in pain. Susan's nerves, on edge, jumped as if a boar had attacked. "Jason! Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, hun." The last thing Jason wanted to do was interrupt his night ride with his wife, but he had a conscience, too. He couldn't leave someone hurt. "Geez. Okay, listen, Suz, I'm gonna try and look over the edge."

"Be careful!" Susan let go Jason's arm, and began twining her long hair round and round into a wet rope, just to keep her hands busy. "Don't fall!"

"Hey, I'll be careful. Uh...wait, can you get the flashlight out of the bag on the cycle? It would help if I could see what I was doing. The clouds are thickening again."

Susan ran back and got the flashlight, and directed it on the ground in front of Jason. "See anything?"

He was making his way down a bit of a slippery slope, to a rocky ledge that marked the edge of the steep part of the embankment. "No, but I can hear a guy's breathing, and it doesn't sound good. Can you hand me the flashlight? Maybe I can see him."

Susan very slowly made her way to Jason, and handed him the flashlight. "Oh God oh God oh God! I am so scared!" She was shivering so badly, her voice shook.

"Hey, don't worry, I won't fall." Jason hoped he was telling the truth as he lay down on the rocky ledge and peered over, shining the light around all the bushes and rocky areas just below him. Off in the distance, far down the cliff, a car burned, the smell of the smoke turning the salty sea air acrid. A silver car was just visible, looking like it had rolled and tumbled several times before coming to rest nose down on it's top. It was smashed and crushed enough that nobody in it could still be alive.

The moan sounded again just as Jason had the flashlight on a patch of rocks he was only looking at with luck. Without the light, the dark-haired man wearing a dark T-shirt and green khaki cargo pants would have been indistinguishable from the rocks and brush. He looked as if he had been flung against the brush right at the point of no return. He was terribly lucky to have landed there. The flashlight clearly showed that he was badly hurt.

"Suz, call 911. I see blood on the guy's head. I'm going to see if I can go down to him. You got a signal?"

"Yes! I'm so scared, Jason!" She began fumbling with her phone, dialing for help.

"Me too, hun." Jason inched his way toward the unconscious, dark-haired man, who looked worse the closer he got to him. "Oh man," he breathed, noticing at once that his arm was bent all wrong. He was pretty sure his head was cut bad too, on the side. It had bled a lot, and was still seeping. At least he was breathing. "Hey, don't worry, Sir, my wife is calling for help right now." He took his jacket off and laid it over the man's upper body, tucking it around him as best he could.

That was when he saw the shiny gold and silver crest in an open wallet-like thing near the guy. Jason scooted over and picked it up carefully, and shone the light on it. It was dirty and blood stained, but easily readable.

It was a badge. It had an ID with a photo, and it was a photo of the guy. Under the light, Jason clearly read, despite blood and mud, "Commander Steven J. McGarrett, Hawaii Five-0 Task Force," and the gold and silver shield looked similar to a police badge.

"Oh Geez!" Jason turned and yelled up the hill. "Suz! Tell 911 the guy is Steven J. McGarrett, okay? The badge says Hawaii Five-0 Task Force! He's unconscious. I think he's been here awhile! Tell them to hurry, he's hurt bad! And that car is still burning."


	2. Chapter 2 Badge 7576

Chapter 2 "Badge 7576"

A/N: First, let me thank all reviewers for your very kind reviews. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the title of the story and had to delete the wrong story and re-upload to replace it with the right title. That is the only thing that changed. I lost all your lovely reviews, but the good part is that I thanked everyone for those reviews before they went poof!

I wanted to keep the tension, so this chapter is again short.

Chapter weird review thingie: writing was going beautifully, when I realized I had no idea what to call Chin's shirt! Silly little detail, but then I went looking for that kind of shirt, and knew it was either a Henley or a longjohn shirt, the latter of which would be all wrong for Hawaii. But Chin wears a 7 button Henley, whereas most henleys for men are 4 button max. Women's Henleys are the 7 button ones. So….whatever! Chin looks very manly in his women's Henleys, or maybe I could not find that type of shirt! :-D Research can occasionally be strange.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the show. I just play with it.

Chapter 2 "Badge 7576"

All members of Five-0 knew that calls that came in during the wee hours of the morning were almost never a good thing. Usually it was Steve, the head of Five-0, calling in other members of his task force to rush to a crime scene.

This time, however, Chin Ho Kelly and Abby Dunn, living together since early July, were awakened by a call from Sgt. Duke Lukela of HPD. Chin mumbled something and reached for his phone as Abby propped herself against his bare chest and waited to see if she needed to wake up or go back to sleep. Chin gave her a quick kiss before he clicked talk.

"Chin here. What have you got, Duke?"

Abby felt Chin tense and watched as he listened very closely. "Say again, Duke." He listened for another several seconds. "How bad is Steve?" He listened more. "Okay, how long till the medics arrive?" Another wait. Abby, too, now was tense and already getting out of bed, to go to the dresser where she began pulling on a white polo shirt and bluejeans. "Danny isn't picking up? Send a unit to his house and get him out of bed. Call Kono and have her meet us there. Abby and I are on our way."

Abby didn't have to ask what was happening, because Chin would tell her. She ran a brush through her hair quickly while Chin began yanking on a white 7-button henley shirt and bluejeans. He spoke as he shoved the long sleeves up to his elbows. "Steve's been found hurt. It's bad. We need to get there. He apparently borrowed Danny's car, and was thrown or leaped from it before it tumbled down an embankment. Danny's car is smoldering scrap, but they could still see the license plate."

Abby felt a frisson of fear shiver down her spine. "You said Danny wasn't picking up his phone?"

She and Chin locked eyes, and both were standing as still as statues. Chin's eyes reflected the fear she knew was in her heart. "Let's hurry. And not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know anything but that Steve is hurt and he needs us. He could have borrowed Danny's car, and there are lots of reasons Danny might not be answering his phone. For all we know, he could be taking a walk."

Chin wrapped his arms around Abby, kissed her forehead and nodded against her. "Yeah. Let's deal with what we know. We'll take the Mustang."

They had barely made it to the garage before Chin's phone rang again. He put it on speaker. "Yeah, Duke?"

"Chin," said Duke's worried voice, still every bit the professional Honolulu Police Sergeant he was. "Danny isn't answering at his house. I told the officer to break down his door and look around, and he said Danny isn't there but all looks normal. I told him to tape the house off as a precaution. Should I put out an APB, or ...?"

Chin felt his stomach drop. He had a bad feeling. "Yes to the APB, but keep it quiet. And send a search and rescue to where his car and Steve were found. We don't know anything, but ... I'd rather Danny be furious we broke down his door than wait when things just don't feel right."

"Search and rescue is about 5 minutes out. Medics are arriving now."

"Good. Keep us informed. Abbey and I will hit the jets." That meant they would use the siren and the lights, breaking every speed and traffic law it was legal for them to break.

.

.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

.

.

Kono Kalakaua was entwined in sleep with her husband Adam. They were still savoring every moment they could spend together since his release from Halawa Correctional Facility two months ago. Being able to spend the nights together instead of apart was something they treasured. They were even considering starting a family, since time was such a precious thing to then, and both knew how much the eighteen months Adam had been locked up had set them back. They would never take time for granted again.

Kono was a light sleeper, which ideally suited her profession as a cop and a member of the Five-0 Task Force. She had not slept well that night, so when her phone beeped, she rolled over and snatched it up before it could beep again and wake up Adam. It was Duke, one of the police Sergeants who worked closely with Five-0. "Kono here. What've you got, Duke?" She listened, and became the third statue that night. "Okay, I'm on my way."

"Kono?" Adam's voice was husky and sexy with sleep. "A new case?"

"N-no, not exactly. Steve's been found hurt and Danny is ... they aren't sure whether he's missing or they just can't find him." She was dressing in gray jeans and a pale blue top with lace insets at the scoop neck. She had tucked her badge into her waistband.

"How bad is Steve, and how missing is Danny?"

"Duke said Steve was bad, but it's early. Things always look worse at the beginning. Danny? It could be nothing. But I feel strange about this. We just got the Ohana back together. Danny is starting to trust me more. Christmas is in four days. We have all worked so hard to put the rough times behind us. I hope this is all a lot less than it feels like."

Adam climbed over to Kono's side of the bed and reached for her hand. "I can come with you."

Kono's heart melted, and she leaned down and kissed Adam. "I love you for asking." They kissed again, longer, until Adam broke it off. "Call me when you know anything."

"I will. I will."

.

.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

.

.

Chin and Abby, and Kono from different directions, arrived at the scene at almost exactly the same time, both having broken speed laws on every street and highway to get there. It was now about 2:45 am, and the medics were working on Steve. He had not yet been brought up the embankment. Search And Rescue had finally gotten down to Danny's still-smoldering car. Some were using small shovels to throw soil on the places still barely burning. Smoke was gray where one tire was still burning stubbornly despite the nose of the car being in a natural ditch filled with rainwater.

Chin studied the scene, noticing the young couple sitting on the bumper of one of the two medic vans. They were wrapped in rescue blankets, their white clothes smudged with dirt and plant debris. The dark-skinned man had long dark brown dreads pulled back from his face somehow, and the woman was pale skinned, with blonde hair twisted into a rope over one shoulder. Duke approached and told the Five-0 members that they were the couple who had found Steve and called in the emergency. "Newlyweds, Jason and Susan Palmer, out on a joyride after their wedding. Here from Redding, California. They called 911 at 2:06 am, after they found Steve and tried to render what assistance they could."

"Alright. I'll talk to them as soon as I check on Steve."

Duke nodded. "A Medivac helicopter is flying in from Tripler. The medics think it would take too long to run Steve in by road. We're almost 30 minutes from the hospital, and the Medivac will be here in another 5, plus maybe 10 to get him to the ER."

"What is Steve's condition?" asked Kono and Abbey.

Duke frowned, his face worried. "The medics can't wake him up, and that has them concerned. He does have a head wound, but they don't think he is concussed. What they are sure about is that he broke his right arm in two places, might have a broken rib or two, and a lot of bruises. His injuries are not that severe, really. But for some reason, he isn't waking up."

Just then, a call came up the hill from the rescuers at Danny's car. "We have a body!"

Duke, Chin, Abby and Kono moved closer together, and the wife of the newlywed couple began to cry.

Chin felt sick to his stomach. "We don't know it's Danny. Steve could have given someone a lift. We don't know."

There was a pause while rescuers became recovery personnel, and one was able to get nearer. "Badly burned. Face is, uh, bones are smashed in, uh, can't tell who it is. More or less in the front passenger seat."

Duke looked over at Chin. Chin, puffing out his cheeks in a fearful exhale, gave the order. "Call in Max. Let him ... wait for him to -"

"Got a badge! ID burned to ash, but the shield is still intact. I can read the number! It's number 7576."

Chin, Duke, and Abbey just stared at one another, shocked. Kono bit her lip and fought tears. 7576 was Danny's badge number.


	3. Chapter 3 Reasonable Doubt

**Chapter 3 "Reasonable Doubt"**

 **A/N:** Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Wow, I'm very humbled! Thanks especially to LadyNiko who pointed out that I got Danny's car color wrong! It is corrected in this and all future references as being a black Camaro. (I wonder what color the next one will be?)

Those who have not seen the final episode of season 6, read carefully because this chapter contains spoilers to that episode.

I do want to say that Lou Grover will be in this story, but cannot say more at this time. Have patience, fleas, for the night is long. (My Dad used to say that )

Soon the pace of the story will pick up, but finally we are getting to news we all neeeeeed to hear!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0. Dangit.

 **Chapter 3 "Reasonable Doubt"**

After Danny's badge had been found near a body charred beyond recognition, Chin Ho Kelly, Abby Dunn, and Kono Kalakaua had no choice but to at least accept the possibility that their friend and colleague, Danny Williams, may -Chin kept stressing "may"- have been killed in this car crash. Their friend, Dr. Max Bergman, the Medical Examiner, would have to make the final determination on that, and likely it would take a while. He had been called and was on his way, about 30 minutes out. Chin had also asked Duke to keep the ABP on Danny active, because they did not have anything but circumstantial evidence that Danny might have perished on this lonely stretch of road. They would not call his ex-wife yet. There was no point in alarming her until they knew for sure. His children need not know until they had facts.

Police were taking photographs, collecting whatever evidence they would need to determine who had died in that black Camaro, and how. All were aware that someone had died. It was now a death investigation of someone, identity not yet confirmed. There was a quiet as everyone did their jobs.

The focus now was on Steve. The medics, working with Search & Rescue, had been able to get him into a basket and bring him up to the road. His friends clustered around him. He was unconscious, strapped to a back board, his neck immobilized, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, his forehead wrapped in bandages showing red. He had scratches on his face, from brush, and was soaked through from rain. His clothes were a mess of dirt, debris, and some blood. His right arm was bent at the elbow, strapped to his chest, his forearm encased in an inflatable cast. The broken bones would be set at the hospital. He had a saline IV drip inserted into his left arm.

Chin, Kono, and Abby had all seen him in worse condition. None breathed a word about the near death experience in late June, the living donor liver transplant from ...Danny. Everyone thought about it. Abby, who had been off Island, in San Francisco at the time, had seen photos of the scene, as well as news coverage, because the story of the gravely injured head of Five-0, saved by his partner, a non-pilot who had successfully landed their undercover airplane on Waikiki beach and then donated half his liver to save his life, had made the news across the nation.

One medic was swathing Steve in an emergency blanket, to ward off shock. Another was checking Steve's pupils again, and mumbled, "He is starting to respond. Finally!"

If anything, the cluster of people grouped closer. Chin stepped in. "Steve? It's Chin. Can you hear me?"

Steve's eyes tried to flutter open, and he tried to speak, but the word came out a sound of confusion at the feeling of pain and restricted movement.

"Good, Steve. You're doing fine. Don't try to move."

"...nnnny? Where...? Wha happen...?" Steve managed to get his eyes open long enough to see Chin and Kono, who he recognized even if they looked very blurry, but there were a lot of other blurry people he had no clue about to judge from his expression of puzzlement.

"Danny is ... fine." Chin's voice cracked on the last word, but he didn't think Steve would notice. "Just relax. You're going on a little helicopter ride."

"K." Steve closed his eyes, and the medic checked his pupils again, along with his heart rate and breathing. "Give us some space. We need to prepare him."

They could all hear the Medevac helicopter coming in. Within minutes, it was hovering overhead, and lines were being lowered down to secure the basket carrying Steve. Harnesses were being lowered on different lines.

"Is there room for Kono to ride with him to Tripler?" Chin asked. After a very brief discussion via headsets, the medic in charge nodded. Chin put his hands on her shoulders. "Kono, keep us posted on Steve."

"You do the same, Cuz. Anything on Danny." Kono was already slipping into a harness, to be lifted into the chopper.

"I promise." Chin hugged Kono, and Abby did the same.

"Be safe," they all said together, and hugged again.

It was barely five minutes before everyone was aboard, and the chopper gained altitude as it circled back toward Tripler Army Medical Center with its precious cargo.

Chin got busy with Abby. He went over to talk to the newlyweds who had found Steve, and Abby began photographing tire tracks, skid marks, broken brush. They were both dreading Max's arrival, knowing he could give them very bad news. Chin was forcing himself to think positively, however. Max could also give them very good news, though someone out there was going to be missing a loved one after Max was able to identify the body in Danny's charred Camaro.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

An hour later, Chin had sent home the newlywed couple after interviewing them extensively. Before they left, he thanked them for the help they had rendered Steve. Without them, it might have been hours before Steve was found, and those hours could have meant the difference between finding him alive or giving him the chance to succumb to shock and the elements and possibly even die.

Duke was still coordinating any information coming in from the APB on Danny, which meant he had little to do but man the radio and sent officers all over the place, because there was absolutely no word on his whereabouts. Danny had not returned to his house, so he made the call to have it scoured for anything that might be evidence. Abby, Duke and Chin were hovering in that limbo of not knowing what to believe about their friend. Was he here, dead? Or was he missing? By already processing his house as a crime scene, they were hedging their bets.

Dr. Max Bergman had arrived at the scene a half hour earlier, pulled on his head-to-toe examiner's suit and latex gloves, and only nodded at the police and Five-0 personnel. He went right to work, Search & Rescue attaching him to a harness and helping him down the steep embankment down to the remains of Danny's scorched, totaled black Camaro. And the body.

Finally, Chin literally had nothing left to do but wait for Max's preliminary report. He, Abby and Duke were in synch on what they did. They looked at their watches together. It was now just after 4 am. They all listened as Chin put Kono's call from Tripler on speakerphone. "How is Steve?"

Kono's voice came through tired and worried. "He's still very sleepy, but he's awake. Our friend Dr. Cornett is his on this, so at least we know this will be thorough. He says Steve has no life-threatening injuries, but he believes he was drugged, based on how Steve is still not responding as fully as he should be. He has ordered a mind-boggling number of tests. He is specifically checking for any of the date-rape type of drugs, but lots of others too. And he's getting ready to set Steve's arm. The Doc says he won't be able to drive again for a while."

"Date rape?" Three voices sounded shocked. "Please tell us there is no evidence of sexual assault?" finished Chin.

Kono was quick to reassure. "No! God no. No, we don't have that to deal with. But Steve isn't remembering anything, and he's still very woozy. He doesn't remember driving Danny's car at all tonight. The last thing he can remember was being at Danny's, the two of them seeing Rachel out to her car so she could go to the airport and pick up Stan. He says after that he can't remember even going back into the house. He remembers turning to go back in, but after that it goes all, quote, foggy, unquote."

"Rachel? Why was Rachel at Danny's?" asked Chin.

"Steve said it had to do with plans for Christmas. Grace, Charlie, presents, when and where and how long, and it was fine. Rachel was being nice. Not even any snarking at Danny. Steve also said Rachel is starting to show her pregnancy."

"Great, great that she and Stan are finally having their own kid. So Steve doesn't remember anything that can help us?" asked Abby. Duke was standing by, soaking it all in, his own brain collecting puzzle pieces that may or may not be needed later on.

"Not yet, anyway. Dr. Cornett says his memory may sharpen after a few more hours, but if he was drugged, it may not."

Duke asked, leaning toward the phone, "How was Danny acting? What time is the last time Steve remembers?"

"Steve said Danny was acting like Danny, seemed genuinely happy for Rachel. And you know how he loves Christmas! And yeah, Steve looked at his watch when they walked Rachel out to her car. It was 7:49 pm. He remembers the time because she had to get to the airport to pick Stan up from his flight, arriving 8:30 pm. Did Max show there? Do you have _anything_ on Danny yet? Steve keeps asking after him, and I know he knows something is up and I'm stalling."

Chin sighed. "Nothing yet. Max is down at the car. Sorry, Cuz - wait, Max is coming up. I'll call you back as soon as we hear what he has to say. Give Steve our love, okay?"

"Okay, I hope it's good news. Love you all."

"Love you too," chorused Chin and Abbey.

They all walked over to meet Max as he came up the last part of the embankment, too impatient to wait for him to walk over to then. They avoided the black body bag in the type of basket used to bring up Steve. Usually Chin would at least look at the body in the bag, but this time he couldn't bring himself to. Neither could Abby or Duke.

"Max," greeted Chin, his voice trying too hard not to betray his tension. "How are you making the transition back to Hawaii?" He had been away for 5 months, working with Doctors Without Borders. He had returned just in time for Thanksgiving.

"How is Sabrina?" asked Abby, after Max's long-time girlfriend, who worked at the Hawaii National Bank.

Max had surprised them all by having a less formal manner than was usual for him since returning from his stint with Doctors Without Borders. He addressed each of them by first name, but his tone was noticeably tense. "I am readjusting very well, thank you for asking. Sabrina is doing well, again thank you. We are excited that she may be receiving a promotion at her job in the new year."

"Good to hear! We can congratulate her in person when we see her at Christmas, but give her our best wishes sooner, of course." Chin could not help but ask, "What did you discover down there?"

Duke had out his notebook and was already writing down notes.

Max's expression became very serious, and somewhat perplexed. "My preliminary report is of course going to be less thorough than my final one. I must confirm my early conclusions with the autopsy, which I will perform this afternoon, in the interests of the gravity of the situation." He hesitated. "Please excuse my poor choice of the word, gravity."

"No problem." Chin had tried hard not to wince at the word. "Please continue, Max."

"Of course, Chin." Max surprised them all with a sudden bright smile. "I must say quickly that I do _**not**_ believe the body in the Camaro is that of Detective Danny Williams."


	4. Chapter 4 Answers And Questions

**Chapter 4 "Answers And Questions"**

 **A/N:** *HUGS* for all the reviews and favorites and followings, I really can't believe it! Thank you sooo much!

Okay, this chapter has more info and finally DANNY! At the end, do NOT skip to it. Promise! Not that I'll know….

The pace is picking up. I hope you like this chapter! I LOVE all your reviews!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Hawaii Five-0. I don't even own a Danny standee, tho I'm considering that last one. And a Steve one too.

 **Chapter 4 "Answers And Questions"**

There were massive shows of relief when Max made his pronouncement that he did not believe the charred body was in fact Danny. Chin hugged Abby, gently but fiercely at the same time, and she burrowed her head into his chest while she let tears slip down her cheeks, until she smiled brightly, and sought to bring herself under control. She still had a job to do, and so did Chin and everyone else.

Chin was tactile, and he needed to touch everyone. He put one hand on Max's shoulder, another on Duke's, and nodded. "Alright. That is great news. But we have a lot more to do." He patted their shoulders, then returned to professionalism. "Max, how did you arrive at your preliminary conclusion?"

Max's smile shifted too. He was back in his world as Medical Examiner more than friend. "It was surprisingly easy, and yet complicated at the same time. Quite obviously, a person or persons has tried to make us believe it is Danny's ... excuse me, professionalism requires me toward formality at the moment... Detective Williams' body. This is not the easiest task, as you can well imagine. The body type, height, weight, proportions - all had to be within close approximation of his specific parameters. Also, quite obviously, whoever did this would know that DNA testing, and any reputable autopsy would confirm that this is not who we are supposed to think it is. For instance, Detective Williams has relatively short limbs compared to the length of his torso. His dental records, fingerprints, medical records are readily available to us. Yet, we are prevented from using fingerprints and a physical identification because the corpse has been mutilated to make this difficult. I speak of course of the smashed in face, and the fire, which means we cannot use fingerprints or hair, facial features, clothing, or any visual clues to ascertain identity. The smashed face, for instance, is not consistent with injuries sustained in this type of car crash. One would expect much more than the face to be damaged, and the face not as severely. It is my theory that -"

Chin was beginning to feel queasy, so he stopped Max. "Yes, and we will get into this at great length later, but could you cut to how you figured out it isn't Danny? You said it was relatively easy."

Max looked briefly startled, and apologized for getting lost in minutia. "My apologies, gentlemen and lady." He reached into one of the very stained coverall pockets and pulled out an evidence bag. In it was a charred but still golden watch, quite large, with a wind-up case, the hands stopped at 5:33 pm. The little date window held the number 20, yesterday's date. "Do any of you ever recall Detective Williams wearing a wristwatch, at work or in his off hours?"

Chin, Abby and Duke all peered at the evidence bag, which Chin took in his hand and studied as if it was a gift directly from God. "Six years ago, when we were all getting to know each other's idiosyncrasies, Steve asked Danny why he never wore a watch, and Danny said that, as a baby, Grace broke his watches as fast as he could replace them, so he stopped. Besides, his phone, his car, his computer, the clock on the wall, and other people could all tell him the time. He hasn't worn a watch since Grace was 4."

Max nodded, pleased. "I too asked him that question three years ago, and he told me the same thing. Also, if you look at the reverse of the watch, you will notice it is not engraved to Danny Williams."

Chin flipped over the clear bag, and read the inscription in cursive: "To my husband Neil Lane, Love Lisa Lane."

Chin nodded and handed the evidence bag back to Max, who slipped it back into his pocket as Duke was taking notes. "Max," said Chin, "run that watch through every test you have after you finish the autopsy on whomever that is. Duke, see what you can find on Neil and Lisa Lane. We need photos. Hell, we need everything. Abby and I will head to Tripler, to fill in Steve and Kono."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Chin drove like Steve McGarrett, lights flashing and siren shrieking, as they headed for Tripler Army Medical Center. Abby had called Kono on the way, but they were prevented from using the speakerphone feature because the siren was too loud. However, it was a trade-off: it would get them to Tripler a few minutes faster if they used it. When they had told Kono about the body not being Danny's, she had shrieked with joy! Luckily, she had gone down to the cafeteria for a quick snack, being too keyed up to eat before, so the number of people she had to apologize afterwards to was small. Before she hung up, she said she was going to call Adam.

As it was, Chin and Abby arrived a little before 5:30 am, and found themselves talking to Steve, Kono, and Steve's doctor, Isaac Cornett. Kono had not yet told Steve about Danny.

Steve was more alert, which is not quite the same thing as saying he was alert. He was fighting drowsiness, but he looked much better than he had when they had last seen him, even if he was wearing a blue printed hospital gown and dark blue pajama pants. He was clean and dry, for starters. His injuries had been tended. His right arm was in a plaster cast from just below his arm pit to just over the knuckles of his hand. His head was bandaged also on the right side, and he had scratches and bruises probably in a lot more places than they could see. No stitches, though, other than the ones on the gash on his head. He was being readied to be moved to a room, where he would be kept for observation overnight.

"Nice to see you all! So now will you tell me what the hell is going on with Danny?" demanded Steve, sounding like he was peeved and on the verge of a rant.

Chin, Kono and Abby were shoulder to shoulder, to take up as little room as possible while Dr. Cornett fussed with syringes and bottles of pills and liquids. Chin turned on his placating voice. "Steve, we will tell you, but we need some information from you first."

"What do you need?"

"What is the last thing you remember before … just tell us the last thing you remember."

"You three barging in here with no Danny."

"No, no, Steve, before that. Before you were brought here. We need to know, so we know how much to tell you." Chin was still in placation mode.

Steve calmed down, a little. "I sortof remember a helicopter ride."

"And before that?"

Steve was now vexed, and getting worried. "You keep asking me that! Danny and I were at his house, and we walked Rachel to her car because she wanted to show us this big fluffy bear she got for Charlie, it's seriously huge, and then she drove away to go to the airport to get Stan from a business trip. And we went inside, and then it all goes blank. Not like … not like an attack blank, but just like the tape breaks and the screen goes dark. I just can't remember anything else!"

"Do you remember driving Danny's car?"

Steve sighed. "No. And now I'm here, and you won't tell me about Danny." He looked pleading. "I'm imagining the worst, guys. You gotta tell me something!"

Chin looked over at the tall doctor, who seemed to intuit the question of whether or not Steve could handle something that was definitely not all good news, but not the worst news, either. He nodded, unblinking, making no secret of the fact that he too was listening closely. After all, since the liver transplant, he was more Danny's doctor than he was Steve's.

"Okay." Chin sat down on the edge of the bed, and in a gentle voice told Steve everything that had happened, stressing that the body was NOT Danny's, but that they still had no idea where he was. "And you were found there. We think you were thrown from the car."

"Was I driving it?"

"We haven't gotten the forensics report back yet, it's a little early. I'm guessing no, but it was supposed to look like you were. If you were drugged, you were put in the car, and somehow got thrown from it."

"So someone tried to kill me, and make it look like Danny is dead." Steve's voice held a slight tremble, as if he was struggling to keep his emotions under control."

"Yeah."

"Why? Why didn't they just kill me outright?"

"We don't know, Steve. Maybe they wanted you dead, but wanted Danny alive."

"I don't feel reassured by that. What do they want with him?" Steve, more alert than before, turned sharply to Dr. Cornett. "How long do I have to stay here?"

"Twelve hours," he answered, hazel eyes sympathetic but unwavering.

"I want to set up a computer in my room, and use my phone."

Cornett bargained back. "Okay, provided you sleep –or at least rest- for 6 continuous hours. I will give your team free access to you."

"Deal. Thanks, Doc." He looked at his task force. Minus one. "We have to find him."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny was hearing the strangest sound. He had awakened on his stomach, his face pillowed on his left forearm, in a room lit strangely. Blues, reds, greens, yellows, whites, all mixed up. Something small and mobile was standing on four … paws … on his shoulders, using one paw to pat his head. It felt very strange. The sound was sometimes a purr, sometimes a squeaky meow. "Dreaming," he mumbled. "About a cat." He felt ill, and unutterably sleepy. He felt the …kitten?... curl up on the back of his neck, and they both fell asleep.

It was minutes or hours later that he awakened again. The kitten was still there, batting a small paw at his nose. "What?" he asked the Universe, and pushed himself up, trying to work the wooziness out of his head. Automatically he picked up the kitten, which was white with a few dilute markings of peach and almost tan. The room was darker now, the colored lights dimmer. But he could see that in his hand he held a glow stick, like the kind used at parties, or by survivalists for emergency light. He bent it and shook it, and it lit up white. The part of him that knew about glow sticks realized it was the 12-hour version.

He was facing a corner, made of metal. Rusty metal. So was the floor. Odd. He turned around, still holding the glow stick and the kitten in different hands, and his eyes grew wide in instant panic.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The word ripped out of him and echoed and echoed and mocked him until he hid his head in his drawn up knees, holding the kitten tight as he repeated the word in a whimper, over and over again, his eyes shut, praying to wake up from this nightmare.


	5. Chapter 5 The Box

Hidden In Plain Sight Ch. 5 "The Box"

A/N: Thank you or the reviews! I am answering you with a new chapter, because this story really has me in its grip! And this chapter gave me fits, because it is so "What?"

I am basing this kitten off a real one I knew many years ago, who I dearly loved, but who is over the rainbow bridge now. Her name was Bug. She got an infection while still a kitten, and the vet could not cure her, so I never got to see her grow up. I promise you, this fictional kitten gets to grow up and be happy.

The whole situation for Danny is basically insane, but there it is.

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

Chapter 5 "The Box"

"OhmyGod, ohmyGod." Danny whispered it over and over, while his brain struggled to return to coherency. It was the panic of claustrophobia, being stuck in a metal box with no door or window. But it was so much more. It was the mind's complete rejection of a reality that simply could not be. "I've been drugged. That has to be it. This is not real. If I sleep it off, I will wake up and it will be gone."

But he had already done that. He remembered from before. He'd felt so sleepy, and when he woke up, feeling what had been more or less human, even if the kitten was still there and nothing made sense, he had turned around and known things were so wrong, it was incomprehensible. His reaction had been entirely justified. His situation was insane.

Maybe he had lost it. Maybe he was insane. How or why did not really matter. This could not be real. There was no way this could be real.

He remembered being home, with Steve, because they had casework to finish discussing, plus the upcoming Christmas holiday. The Big Party, where to hide the presents. Kono already had hidden the electronic BB8 droid for Grace and Charlie. It was at her and Adam's house, because the kids didn't go there often. Rachel, his ex-wife, had called and wanted to stop by, to make sure the gifts she had bought that afternoon were okay, and she had been nice, having tea with Danny and Steve. She had almost forgotten to leave for the airport in time to get Stan, because they had been discussing her pregnancy. Which Danny was not nearly as thrilled about as he acted like he was.

But that was another matter. So when she took her teacup out to the kitchen and then hustled them out to the car to see the bear she had gotten Charlie, Danny had been quiet, but effusive over the bear, which was twice as big a Charlie. He would love it.

Rachel left, and Steve had noticed Danny's "fake happy" mood, and had started to ask him about it. He had started to stall, as they sat down and finished their tea, which had gotten cold and a little bitter. Danny had gotten bottles of water from the fridge, and they drank from those, and it was as if a switch had been flipped. He remembered drinking water, and then he woke up in the box, with a kitten.

What about Steve? Where was Steve? His head snapped up, and all he could think of was Steve. He pounded on the wall, which scared the kitten, but he had frankly forgotten about the kitten. Danny was panicking again, full blown. He pounded, and yelled. "STEVE! STEVE!" He did not turn around because he knew what was across the room, so he kept his face to the wall and kept yelling and pounding.

No response but echoes. He slid down the wall finally, spent, a little dizzy. Maybe he had lost his mind. Maybe he was sick, delirious, and this was what his fevered brain had cooked up? He hoped so. Because this could not be real. He just hoped it was delirium, and that Steve wasn't locked in a similar rusty metal box, with a different kitten, and the word COFFIN painted in black on the wall across from him, way too close, way too big in such a small space.

He began another repetition of "OhmyGod, ohmyGod," adding "Please can I wake up and be home again?"

Wait. He wasn't holding the kitten. Where had it gone? Danny opened his eyes, frantically, because if the kitten could disappear, maybe he could follow it. Had it found a door? Was there a door?

There was no door. The kitten was patting something in a pile by other things … the small space was crammed with stuff, very visible with the light from the glow stick. Then little cat ran back to Danny and hopped up on his knees and meowed in such a keening way in his face.

Danny suddenly knew what it was trying to tell him. "You want food."

Meowww!

If it was a hallucination, he still felt he should see if there was anything to feed the little furry monster. After all, it was stuck in the box too. He got up, holding the cat, which promptly began to purr, and realized immediately that he his feet were bare. He looked down, and then dropped the kitten in shock. It hissed, but he ignored it as he dropped to a crouch and looked at the length of chain padlocked just shy of painfully tight around his right ankle. The padlock was the heavy kind used to lock storage units.

His clothes were all wrong. He was in a thin, fabric coverall, like mechanics wore. It was blue, and the pant legs had been messily hacked shorter to fit his length of leg. The sleeves were cut off to be short. All he had underneath the coverall was his boxers. His dress shirt and slacks and belt, socks and shoes were gone. The coverall pockets were empty.

Danny was starting to think it was not a hallucination or delirium. He was too aware of the details. Were people aware of details in hallucinations? He had no idea.

He studied the chain. It was thick and wrapped so that it came close to cutting off the circulation. There would be no way to slip out of it. It would take a bolt cutter to cut through it. He was pretty sure there was no bolt cutter laying around in the box. He saw that it ran to a corner of the room, where it was locked to a heavy ring bolted to the floor with a ridiculously overkill 4 heavy-duty bolts.

He stepped back until the chain was fully stretched out; it did not extend to the far wall, so that meant it was only about 8 feet long. He could reach the wall with his arms and left foot, but not his right. He flipped up the huge padlock, to see if there was any way at all he might be able to pick it if he could find something to use to make a lock pick.

Something hard and shiny filled the keyhole. Epoxy, or superglue, or something like that. Even the key would be useless to unlock it. It too would take a bolt cutter to remove the padlock.

Danny knew he was really stuck then. Someone was not going to let him escape from the box. If Steve was in the same fix he was, they were in trouble. Real trouble. Chin and Kono were going to have to find them fast.

Panic was just at the edge, about to hit full force, when the kitten came back and meowed pitifully in hunger. Danny petted the tiny thing, because it was what one did to comfort a fellow prisoner. Immediate purring. He stroked the kitten, amazed that he was doing that, since he was not fond at all of cats. He thought of them as just a step above vermin, and the service they provided to society was to rid it of rats. Pets? They had way too many sharp claws, and fangs, and ignored people, and scratched them, ruined furniture and curtains, and could not play fetch or walk on leashes. Useless as pets. Dogs made good pets. Cats stayed outside and caught rats.

But this one was just a baby, and even Danny had to admit it was cute, because all babies were cute. He guessed it was maybe eight weeks old. And it was stuck in the box too, with no rats to catch. He had to take care of it. People take care of baby things. It was civilized. "Okay, let's see if there's food."

He sure hoped there was food. One side of the room was piled with water bottles, so maybe there was food. Maybe there was even food for him. He sure hoped so, or this would be an incredibly miserable captivity. Panic reared again, but he shut it down. "Think about the hungry baby cat." Besides, Steve would be building something to get out of his box, using the stuff in his box, so the least Danny could do was think positive and do what he could to stave off panic. Chin and Kono would find them, or Steve would manage to get out of his box, which basically put Danny in competition mode. He was not going to be caught lounging around, waiting for rescue, while Steve was super-SEAL-ing a way out.

But first, the hungry cat needed food.

He took three steps to the stuff, the ankle chain scratching on the floor, and was relieved and unsettled both at once. There was human food, water, cat food in soft pouches, and even little paper plates to put it on. He'd take inventory after the hungry little … he checked, and it was a girl kitten ...was fed. And given water. There was a little dish for that, plastic and useless for anything but a water bowl, and the 5-gallon water bottles had spigots. Okay, great. Feed and water the cat. Wonder why there is clay cat litter and a little pressed paper catbox. Even a cheap scoop for the litter box.

"What kind of prison is this?"

He opened the plates as carefully as he could. The kitten was now in a frenzy of meowing, recognizing that it was going to be fed. "You are so skinny! How long has it been, huh?" He managed to extricate just one plate. Then he tore open one pouch of food, and emptied it on the plate while the kitten jumped all over him and whapped at his hands, eating from the plate as soon as a morsel hit it.

"Have some manners, you little wretch. I'll get you water, too. I don't see any milk."

So he put water in the bowl, and as soon as the kitten had scarfed down all the food, she lapped up quite a bit of the water. Danny realized it had been awhile since she had been cared for.

That was ominous.

After the kitten had stuffed itself, leaving no crumb uneaten, she came back to Danny and looked up at him with huge blue-green eyes. He bent down and picked her up, feeling the bulge in the belly where the food had gone. He slid down the wall till he was sitting, and made a nest with his arms for the tiny thing, and she purred and rubbed his face and then gave herself a bath, sitting on his lap.

Danny watched her, pleased at how she seemed to know that a clean cat was a good cat. He looked around the box, and didn't quite panic instantly. He would catalogue the supplies later, after girlcat had a nap, which seemed to be where all this bathing was leading.

He settled, pet the kitten, and finally noticed the covered drain hole that apparently was his own latrine. Great. All the comforts of home.

Which instantly set off his panic reaction, so he focused on the kitten, his fellow prisoner.

She jumped up onto his shoulder and began to purr in his ear. She was small enough to perch there. He reached up to pet her, and in so doing he touched his own head.

And froze. His head felt wrong. Very very wrong.

He was bald.

His head had been shaved. With a razor. His hair was all gone.

And that made him furious. FURIOUS. He wasn't feeling panic now, but fury. How dare someone do this to him? Shave his head, lock him in a box, with an innocent baby cat.

He would find a way out. Somehow. And then he would figure out who had done this to him, and he would put them in prison forever, if he could keep himself from killing them. If Steve didn't kill them first.

He wasn't alone. He tried to ease the tightness of the chain around his ankle, and got nowhere, but he would figure something out. He was not going to die in a metal box 8 feet wide, ten feet long, and ten feet high. And neither was the kitten. But whoever had done this to them would die in prison. He would see to it. He. Would. See. To. It.


	6. Chapter 6 The Box & The Note

**Chapter 6 "The Box & The Note"**

 **A/N** : (1 August 2016) Your reviews are so deeply appreciated! I love knowing what you are responding to, thinking about, trying to unravel this mystery right along with Danny and everyone else! I have had a little trouble recently and have not had the opportunity to reply to reviews, but I think about them, and want to reply. I will when I can, I promise!

Steve and Five-0 will be back in the next chapter!

Disclaimer: CBS persists in owning Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 6 "The Box & The Note"**

While the kitten slept, cradled on his arm, Danny stroking it, he also felt he needed to take stock of the box, and what was in it. First he looked it over carefully, the walls, the floor, the ceiling as best he could see it. He knew it was a shipping container, small by usual standards. He knew he had a latrine hole with a liftable, hinged grate-type cover to keep the cat from falling in, or at least to keep large bugs and maybe vermin from getting in from outside. It was in the corner farthest from the impossible-to-open door wall of the container.

But upon inspection, there was a three-inch pipe fitted into the ceiling, diagonal from the latrine hole, and it was the air hole. It too was fitted with a pipe, going up, and a mesh cover bolted on. He could tell the air was fresher, with a salty tang that meant the sea or that the outside vent was facing the wind, which would help air get into the pipe. The air inside the box was a little stuffy, but not too bad. Danny could imagine it might get worse. There was not much of a draft, but it was enough to keep air coming in. It did not admit any light, but it might be night, for all he knew. He would watch it for light. It also did not admit sounds from outside, which meant it was baffled. If it did not admit sound, it was not going to let sound out either. Yelling for help would not carry far enough to have much chance at all to be heard.

Not a good realization. He had to be someplace remote enough to make discovery unlikely. That did not mean it could not happen, he reasoned, but it was not comforting. For all he knew, he might not even still be on Oahu. There were lots of smaller islands in the chain, some with very low populations. He had no idea where he was.

For the first time, he wondered if the box was buried, and he was underground. Panic was instantaneous, and he began to breathe much too fast while his chest tightened and the breaths had to be small. His heart was hammering in his chest. The kitten woke up and began to purr at him, rubbing against his arm, his face, any part of him that she could reach, and now and then meowed to get his attention. Danny had a feeling she was trying to calm him down. He hugged the kitten, and focused on that soothing purr, the need for touch, the need to not panic. "I got it, I have to control this. Look at you, huh? Such a little thing, and just as helpless as me, and you are cool as a cucumber. Right, little girl?" He hugged the kitten, and held her over his heart, which reacted to the comforting purr, the tiny vibrations in the tiny body. "Thanks for the help, little one." He was getting it under control. The kitten was staring into his eyes, and suddenly pushed her cold pink nose against his chin and cheek, and the purring continued even as she nipped his chin very carefully with her tiny fangs.

Danny felt it and hugged the little thing closer, petting her, feeling her arch her back to get more of his touch. "I think you just told me you like me. I like you too. Thanks. I feel better. We can get through this together, right?" He held the kitten up to his face, and imitated what she had done: he rubbed his cheek against her, and his breathing and heart rate were better. Improving. Then he settled the kitten back into the crook of his arm and got back to exploring.

He found a mylar oval glued to the wall, apparently to serve as a mirror. It was shaped like a balloon, and even though he could not pry up the edges, he figured it was probably cut from a holiday or birthday balloon.

In it, he could see well enough that he really was bald. He fetched the packet the cat food had been in, and carefully tore it so it was opened on three sides, and used the silver lining of it as a kind of mirror, checking to see if he could see any nicks or cuts on his head. He had felt a few, but none were serious at all.

He barely recognized himself without his hair. He felt smaller, less himself. Would anyone even know him?

Who was he kidding? It was hair. It would grow back. Sure, it would take months and months, probably half a year to get it back the way he liked it, but it _would_ grow back. Heck, in a week he'd have stubble, which would feel weird, but it would be okay. No matter what, he was still Danny Williams.

This was one of those situations where he would go mad if he did not think positively. Steve, Chin, and Kono would tease him endlessly about his hair, and he could only grimace when he thought of how Grace would react. She loved his hair, even though she would never admit it to him. He had overheard her saying once to that cute nurse at Tripler that her dad was "cool" because of his hair, but mostly because he was Danno.

He liked that his daughter thought he was cool, even if she would never tell him that.

He decided to call the mylar balloon "the window". It reflected light, and made the small container seem just a tiny bit bigger. He would have to use mind games like that to get through being stuck in the small space. He was tense, and panic was not far away, but he was not going to let it best him. Yes, he was claustrophobic. But in this situation, he had to put that aside and make a deal with his phobia. If he was to get through this, he had to accept the dimensions of the box, expand them to something acceptable in his mind, and cope. So the box became in his imagination a big house, with lots of windows and a two-car garage, a yard big enough for Grace and Charlie to play in, and he went for broke and borrowed Steve's back yard with its added beach access, and lapping waves, trees, bushes, flowers, even patio furniture, and a cat tree just inside the house, because no way was he risking the kitten running off and drowning in the ocean.

Danny stopped, and stared down at the kitten. He decided to allow the cat tree, because he was responsible for this baby cat, and cats needed something to play on, safely. "You are the first cat I ever liked," he said, and petted the kitten. She meowed happily.

"Will I keep you?" Danny translated, in something close to a baby-talk voice, unaware that he was. He thought about it and smiled. "Let's see how this goes, okay? You might not like me in a few more days. Besides, I usually don't like cats. Maybe I can make an exception for you, though. I do not have to like all cats to like you."

The furry thing rolled onto its back on his arm, and rubbed the top of its head near the crook of his elbow while simultaneously curling and uncurling her front paws in the air. Danny grinned. His heart rate was back to normal, and his breathing as well. "You are a very cute cat. I do not know what this paws thing means, but I like it and think it is very very cute."

He returned to inspecting the container when the kitten snuggled deeper against him and seemed to be on the verge of sleeping again.

He scowled at the word painted on the wall, and turned it into a picture window looking out onto a big front yard, with trees and landscaping. Oddly, the pile of stuff was a weirdly placed pantry. He counted the 5-gallon water bottles with spigots. There were 8. He turned all but one of them so the spigots faced the wall, so girlkitten would not drain out all the water by tapping her paw against the spigots.

For the one he left spigot-out, he placed the two jars of peanut butter so they protected it from paws. It was the cheap kind of peanut butter that was full of stuff so it did not have to be refrigerated after opening. He hated it, but had lived off it before, when he first moved to Hawaii and had to keep his expenses to a minumim.

Did that mean anything? It had to be a coincidence. Nobody knew, anyway, not even Rachel or Grace. If someone was going to lock someone in a shipping container box and feed them, they would need to find stuff that did not need refrigeration. Peanut butter was a likely choice. So was the box of cheese-flavored crackers. He had also lived on canned tuna and macaroni and cheese, but that required cooking. He could just imagine girlcat going crazy if she smelled tuna.

Danny had a passing thought that he would have to name the cat. He had to think of the right name.

He found a thin fleece blanket in a blue pineapple print among the things, so he took it over to the corner where the chain as bolted down, and folded it into a bed for the cat, then let her explore it and claim it. She curled into a ball and fell asleep smack in the middle of a pineapple.

Danny returned to his inventory. He carefully went through everything he found, and made a list:

8 5-gallon bottles of water (40 gallons, less one cat water bowl amount)

10 single-servings of pineapple juice (1/3 cup each) ( _What is with the pineapples?_ )

1 half-litre empty water bottle with a pull-up spout

1 package of baby wipes (50 count)

1 roll cheap, scratchy toilet paper

1 package of 50 flat wooden tongue depressors (to use as spoons, he guessed)

2 16-ounce jars of cheap peanut butter

1 box of cheese-flavored crackers

1 boxes of raisins

1 Christmas decorated cupcake in a ziploc baggie

1 pineapple-print microfleece blanket, very thin, 50x60 inches according to label

1 30-count pkg of 5-inch paper plates (for the kitten's food) (1 already used)

30 soft pouches of single-meal kitten food (one already used)

1 plastic kitty water bowl

1 kitten-sized pressed paper catbox

1 50 lb bag of clay kitty litter, the clumping kind

1 ultra-cheap plastic scoop for kitty box

30 6-inch white glowsticks, giving roughly 12 hours of light per stick (1 in use)

1 school notebook of wide-lined paper, 50 sheets, with plastic instead of wire spiral

1 mechanical pencil, cheap

1 string of Christmas lights at the top of the COFFIN (cross out) picture window wall, apparently glued in place, bulbs small and multi-colored, currently not lit (but he seemed to recall colored lights the first time he woke up … these?)

A note, printed on ordinary cheap copy paper.

The note had been tucked into the notebook, and fell out when he picked it up.

Danny stared at it. It was folded, and had his name typed on it. It looked as if it had been printed on a computer printer.

Danny knew he was not going to like what it said, so he walked over to what he had begun referring to The Bedroom (nearest the bolt for his ankle chain), sat down next to the kitten's bed and cautiously unfolded the note.

It read: "UR coffin. Haha U SUFFER. Not much food. No more coming. Haha STARVE. No way out. Hid U. No 1 looking cuz they think U R dead. Why cat? Wrong place wrong time. U can share coffin. (McG dead cuz he was there when you were taken. So drugged, easy to kill. Never liked him.) Have hated U so long, planned this for months. My Christmas gift is knowing U will suffer and die. Maybe in 5 years I will dig you up and gloat. Or maybe not. Already kept some hair for a trophy."

Danny stared at it a long time, re-reading it over and over. Hope drained out of him, and pain came and filled up his heart. Was Steve really dead? Was he believed dead? His clothes had been taken, his hair. If used right, that might be enough to … if it was found washed up on a beach, or ….

Was this box his coffin?

Steve. He couldn't be dead. He had survived and even received a liver transplant, and he was back at work, he was doing well. Had he been killed when Danny was taken? Danny had already figured he had been drugged. If he had, likely Steve had. Drugged, Steve could not have been able to fight back.

Steve could be dead. It could be true. He felt utterly lost. His best friend, dead because of him. "God, Steve, I'm so sorry." He felt numb. He grieved.

And it was possible that he was presumed dead, and that no one was looking for him.

Danny looked at the water, the food, the other things. If this was all he had left, he would die a horrible death, and no one would even know. And if Steve and him were both dead, Five-0 would struggle to survive, though he knew Chin, Kono, and Abbey would do their best. The only question was if the governor would keep them funded.

His colleagues. He missed them. They would be suffering. He could not comfort them. He could not comfort his children.

He let out a sob when he thought of Grace and Charlie. His kids. He knew they loved him. And he knew they knew he loved them. He would not see them grow up. Not see Grace graduate from high school, or become a marine biologist, or her new idea now of becoming a pediatric nurse. Would Charlie become a fireman, or a policeman, or even a cowboy? Would they both be happy? Birthdays. Christmas. Would they like the BB8? He had imagined their faces, but he would not see them now. He loved them so much. His heart felt like it was breaking. He would never see them again. He loved them. Had he been a good father, a good enough role model for them?

How would his nephew Eric take the news? Eric had really turned his life around. Would he hang onto all the good people he had? What about his parents, his sisters? Everyone, hurting. He could console no one.

Would they cope with his death? With Steve's? His kids, his Five-0 ohana, his extended ohana of Max, Jerry, Kamekona, Duke, Pua, Nehele, hell, even Rachel.

Two deaths. That was a lot for anyone to cope with. Would they be able to stay loving and hopeful?

He folded the note and stuffed it ridiculously carefully in one coverall pocket, then shifted the kitten so he could curl up on the folded blanket, with it nestled in the curve of his body. He felt numb, depressed, lost and despondent.

Afraid.

He was afraid the note was true.


	7. Chapter 7 Thinking & Naming The Kitten

**Hidden In Plain Sight Chapter 7** "Thinking  & Naming The Kitten"

 **A/N** : Wow, I love the reviews, the favorites and follows – I am very grateful, and feel humbled because writers are an insecure lot, and we always assume nobody will like what we write, or at least I do. Hope springs ever eternal, so reviews (good or bad) let us know how we are doing.

Kitten finally has a name! I got some suggestions, and all were sooooo good! One name came up a couple times, and since it is one I had personally considered, I went with it. To all who made suggestions, you have my heartfelt thanks!

CBS still owns H50, and I still do not.

 **Hidden In Plain Sight Chapter 7** "Thinking  & Naming The Kitten"

An hour had passed since Steve McGarrett had learned what had happened, and why Danny had not come to visit him, and why he would not be coming to visit him. He was glad to have his team working with him, but his heart was heavy. It had taken him a long time to begin to come to grips with the effects of the undercover operation gone wrong, which had led to Danny becoming a living donor of half his liver to his partner, Steve, because without it, Steve would have died. Six months had passed, or almost.

It was one thing to deal with near death in the line of duty. Several times during a case he had faced thugs who had tried to kill him. But this was the first time he and Danny had been drugged, and Danny taken away, while he was put in Danny's car with a guy physically of Danny's body type, and had the car pushed or whatevered over a cliff. Somehow, Steve had been thrown from the car before it nosedived over, while the Danny Body Type poor soul had perished from impact and fire, or possibly before. Max had hinted to Chin that the body had sustained incongruous injuries, especially to the head. Chin had suggested to Steve's doctor that he contact Max Bergman, the Medical Examiner, about the chemicals he was testing for in Steve's blood and urine. It might help to have two sets of tests run, especially since the same chemicals might show differently in a dead body versus a live patient. Cornett, thoughtful, had taken his suggestion.

Steve was resting in his hospital bed, as per Dr. Cornett's orders, and was alone for the moment. Chin, Kono and Abby had taken this interval to rush home to shower and change, grab a bite to eat, and would be back if he knew them well within another thirty minutes, bringing his breakfast. He hadn't asked them to, but he knew they would. And they would likely bring something tasty for the police guard and the hospital security officer he now had on his door, because Chin had insisted, and Kono and Abby had backed him up, and Cornett had joined in and pulled rank because he was his doctor; four determined wills against one. If a person or persons had tried to kill him once, what was to stop them from trying again? Even Steve could not successfully argue with that.

Once his team returned, it would be a very busy day, even if Steve had to spend it under observation in the hospital. He glanced at his right arm, held in a sling over the plaster cast. His arm hurt, and frankly a lot of other things hurt too, but he was not even allowed acetaminophen, because Cornett did not have the lab results back to say what drugs had been used to keep him unconscious while he was supposed to die behind the wheel of Danny's Camaro. There was no way to know what might cause an adverse reaction, so he would have to tough it out.

He didn't mind. It was the least of his worries. He needed to know if Danny was unharmed, and he needed to know it yesterday. He needed to know who had taken him, and why. He needed him found NOW. Alive. Unharmed. Steve knew he himself had a long list of enemies who might want him dead, and Danny had 87 successfully solved cases of bad guys in Newark, perps behind bars even before he came to Hawaii six and a half years earlier, so he had his own private list. Since then, they had both made more enemies following the founding of the Five-0 Task Force.

So which one had tried to kill Steve, and taken Danny? And why take Danny? It implied death delayed, preceded by very bad things. Torture. Maiming. These were all things that kept Steve from really resting. What was his friend going through?

Five-0 needed to find him, fast.

Steve was resting his left hand over his abdomen, over his liver. It was an unconscious effort to be close to his partner. "Where are you, Danno?" he asked the air. "C'mon, give me a clue. You know I won't rest until I find you. None of us will. So take some comfort in that. And if you can give us clues, do."

The strangest part was the other body in the car, the one with Danny-like proportions, face destroyed even without the fire. The watch found on that body might or might not belong to that person, but sooner or later they would get a match from DNA if no other method worked … assuming the guy's DNA was in the system.

It would be so easy to prove that the body was not Danny's. So why go to all the trouble of finding someone with his proportions? Why not kill Steve and have Danny vanish? That is basically what had happened, except that the killing Steve part had been botched.

Why toss in an extra body?

Unless it was a warning of what would happen to Danny later on.

No. Steve could not quite reject that thought, though. He had to deal with real possibilities. Danny's eventual death, sooner or later, was an un-ignorable possibility. If the kidnappers had enough time to get to that.

Steve would do everything in his power, use all his resources, to see that Danny was found quickly. Unharmed, alive. If found harmed, he hoped to find him alive enough to survive and recover fully.

Anything else was unthinkable.

"So hold on, Danny. We're going to find you just as soon as we can figure this out."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny did not even have his eyes closed. He lay there, staring at the blanket, seeing it and the box and the kitten. His heart was too heavy to lift.

The kitten waited a few minutes, and then squirmed until she was sitting on the blanket, staring at Danny. Danny did not look at her. But he felt her pat him, repeatedly, on the hand. Danny did not respond. But when he felt the little fuzzy thing wriggle and burrow her head under his hand and then sit up, he stopped his hand from falling off her head.

"I am not in the mood for play." He curled into a tighter ball, and tried to ignore everything but the sadness and despondency that had gripped him.

The cat suddenly did many things, in quick succession, such that he had to pay attention to her. She attacked the chain, and grabbed it with her paws and bit it and kicked at it, while the chain made a muted rattle sound as the links klinked together. Then she looked at him. She had his attention, but he was looking mostly puzzled. So she trotted to him, jumped onto him and shoved her head into the pocket with the note in it, and used her teeth to pull it out, then ran across the room with it, clumsily dragging it.

"Hey! Give that back, you thief!" Danny sprang up and came to her, but she was already attacking the note, biting it, holding it in her front claws while she kicked it. The paper sounded like paper being kicked by a baby kitten intent on doing it great harm.

"Stop that!" Danny was annoyed, but the kitten kept attacking the note until finally Danny took it away from her and looked at the damage she had done to it with her tiny arsenal of claws and teeth. "You don't like this, do you?"

"Growl/Meow" followed by the kitten once more coming to push her face into Danny's, starting up a determined loud purr.

"I don't think your cute purr is going to get me out of this box. Besides, my best friend is dead, and I'm dead, and we're going to die in here. There's no way out."

Immediately Danny was startled when the cat grabbed the note and attacked it again, then ran over to the chain and attacked it again, then came back to him, shoved against his face and purred loudly.

"You don't like the note, or the chain?"

"Meow!"

"I don't like them either." Danny's voice was sad.

The kitten looked him in the eyes, and purred very loudly, considering she was a small cat and only had so much to work with in volume. She batted at the note, which by now was showing rumples and scratch marks.

"You never met Steve. I don't know if you would have liked him, but he was my best friend. And I got him killed."

Kitten growled, and grabbed the note and shook it until a tiny piece of it was bitten off and she dropped the note.

"So you don't want me to say Steve is dead?"

Purrrrr and face rub.

"So you, a little baby cat who never met Steve, are trying to forbid me from saying Steve is dead? I cannot believe I am trying to figure out what you are trying to say."

Kitten purred while sitting down on the crumpled note.

"I guess what this note says doesn't have to be true. You have a point there. I don't _know_ that Steve is dead."

Loud purr. Danny carefully extricated the note, finally having to pick up the kitten and hold it to accomplish it. He read again the note, which now had teeth holes and a few thin scratches marring it, along with the hole. "Okay, I am a pessimistic idiot."

LOUD purr.

"Just because this note says Steve is dead does not make it true. I have no way of knowing, so I might as well … go with my heart, which frankly does not feel like he is dead. I am not dead yet, either. And saying there is no escape does not make it true."

LOUDEST purr yet, head rub, and kitten then running over to attack the chain before looking expectantly at Danny.

Danny picked up the chain and inspected it. "I have to get this off."

Happy kitten.

"So you expect me to think positive, and get the chain off, and find a way out of the box?"

"Meow!"

"The 'ayes' have it, then. Okay, let me think."

Kitten ran to Danny, who had smoothed and folded the note and pocketed it again. She reached up and patted his mouth. Then she went to her water bowl and drank. Then she ran back to Danny and licked his face, once.

"You still have water."

Smack of paw on Danny's nose.

"Ow. You want ME to get a drink."

Meow/purr/roll exposing tummy of ultimate cuteness, complete with paw curls.

"You think I am an idiot, don't you?" Danny asked wryly. "Okay, I will get some water." He had not realized how thirsty he was. While he was carefully filling up his bottle, he was feeling a lot better. He knew now that he was going to go down fighting to survive, rather than give in to despondency. There might not be a good way out of the box – and he was getting some ideas – but any way was acceptable. He had to plan carefully, and keep close track of his supplies, and stretch them just as long as he could.

Before he took that first drink since being put in the box, he smiled at the kitten, who had curled her mostly white self onto the blanket. "You must be my little angel."

Purrrrr. Roll on back with paw curls.

"Oh, so you like being called my little angel!" He sat down next to her while he slowly drank sips of water. "Then you have a name: Angel."


	8. Chapter 8 The Investigation Begins

**Chapter 8 "The Investigation Begins"**

.

 **A/N:** Angel is a hit, and that makes me very happy! I agree, Einstein would also have been a good name! She is a real kitten, because I had one like her once, who I swear understood and spoke English with a Feline accent. We read each other's minds. I think all pets are part guardian angel, so Angel qualifies there too.

A very grateful Thank You for all reviews, follows, favorites, and reads! I appreciate them so much, and each one astonishes me, since I am not the most confident person out there.

The story enters the investigation phase, which will be long. Looonnnngggggg. Danny will return next chapter, for part of it, so there will be this dichotomy of

Danny/investigation going on for the story.

.

.

 **Chapter 8 "The Investigation Begins"**

.

.

Steve heard the footsteps in the hall as they approached his private hospital room, so he pushed himself one-armed more upright, and prepared to meet with his task force ohana. He had managed to close his eyes and rest for the last quarter hour, even with the near constant throbbing in his right forearm. His mind had never even approached sleep, but his body needed rest, so he used every trick in his considerable arsenal to powernap for fifteen minutes. He would have made it longer, but he recognized the steps of Chin, Abby and Kono.

Now that they were here, though, his mind snapped fully alert, for the first time since the battle he had had with his sleepy mind and strong desire to just konk out and not have to think. If it hadn't been for his worry over not hearing anything about Danny until he knew he was not being told that something bad had happened, he would have given in and slept off the remnants of the drug he felt doing battle with his full awareness. Even the pains in his arm and body would not have kept him awake had he permitted himself to fall asleep.

Steve did a mental calculation after glancing at the clock on the wall. 8:35 am. Almost thirteen hours since he remembered looking at his watch at Danny's. That had been 7:49pm. He could remember a few minutes past that, but not many.

He heard Kono chatting with Officer Pua Kai, who was pulling overtime to stand guard on Steve's room. Steve asked his mind if it remembered anything new, and he realized he did! He remembered noticing that his partner was putting on a fake happy face about his ex-wife's pregnancy.

When Steve had asked him about it, after Rachel drove away, Danny had stalled like a professional staller, which he was. They drank the cooled tea and bickered, like they always did before finally confiding. Danny had given in to Steve's friendship-driven 'pain-in-the-ass-ness' and told him that he no longer had any choice but to accept that he was going to have to deal with his kids having a step-brother or step-sister, and that meant Stan and Rachel were not having the problems in their marriage which Rachel kept telling him every few months that they were having, keeping him in a state of suspended hope as to whether or not he would ever get a chance to put his family back together if Rachel and Stan divorced.

"You still lover her." Steve was startled, but he understood in that strange way that made no sense at all. After all, he was still in love with Catherine Rollins, who left him every time they could finally settle down. He had planned to marry her, but had never really even gotten the chance to ask her before she sensed it and bolted on another top secret assignment, even when Steve had told her sadly that he could not wait for her any longer. If she left this time, they were finished as a couple. She had understood fully what it meant when she left, and Steve had been trying to work her out of his heart ever since then, with no real success.

Danny had nodded, then got up to get them bottles of water. Before the liver transplant, they would have had beers, but that was on the no-no list now. He had returned, handed Steve's unopened bottle to him, and remained standing by the couch.

"I don't think I ever stopped, Steve. I have a billion reasons to given up on Rachel, but somehow …." And then he remembered Danny gave him a strange look, and sat down suddenly, as if his legs went out on him. "Dizzy. As in very."

Steve remembered feeling dizzy too. And a little sick. "Danny? Call Chin."

Danny patted pockets with unsteady hands. "Phone. Where's my phone? And gun."

"Side table … or they were. With mine …. Gone." Their voices were distorted, unclear. But Steve had remembered thinking, "We've been drugged." He remembered looking at his watch, and thought it read 8:14, although with his eyesight so fuzzy, the 4 could have been a 9. He saw Danny try to stand, fail, and then sag sideways on the couch, trying to push himself upright as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Steve had felt himself slide onto the floor as he tried to stand, obviously too out of it to make it to his own feet.

And that was it. This time, there was a peculiar finality to the curtain going down on his memory. He knew instinctively that this was all he had to work with.

It gave them another thirty to thirty-five minutes of time to decipher, and also suggested a succession of events.

Chin, Kono and Abby knocked and pushed open his door, and came in indeed bearing breakfast, complete with an extra-large hot chocolate in lieu of coffee, which he was not allowed because the blood work had not returned yet from the lab, and he was not allowed caffeine until the blood work said it was okay. With the hot chocolate was a Styrofoam container of his favorite waffles with coconut, boysenberry and maple syrups.

They were also Danny's favorite. That fact hit him hard. He wished Danny could share this with him, with his whole Five-0 ohana.

Greetings and thank yous were exchanged, and Steve wasted no time at all telling them what else he had remembered as he took a sip of the chocolate, and dug into the still steaming waffles, eat left handed awkwardly. He had used all three syrups, cutting the waffles into thirds so he had a taste of each. The boysenberry syrup had not entered his syrup repertoire until the liver transplant, when he had begun craving Danny's favorite. It was one of the small things that had changed after he had a piece of Danny in him, giving him a new chance at life.

His stomach was still a little dodgy, but he felt it would hold down the waffles. Despite a mild queasiness, he was surprisingly hungry and thirsty.

"I think someone snuck in to the house when we were out at Rachel's car, and drugged the rest of our tea. It had to be the tea, because the water bottles were still sealed and made the pfffft sound you get when the seal is broken."

Chin was doing mental calculations. "That would be about right, if the doc is right and you were both given any of the date rape drugs."

Steve nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

Abby was taking notes. "If someone was hiding in the house, waiting for Rachel to leave, how would this have gone down if you had not gone outside with Rachel? I know you don't know, but what do you think would have happened?"

Steve pondered. "There are a number of possible scenarios. If they did not want Danny killed, it does not rule out injured. For me, shot is probable, enough to take me out. Maybe something to knock Danny unconscious. It would still have taken an autopsy on me to learn drugs or bullets, but Danny's house would have sure held more evidence."

Kono spoke up. "No matter what they or he did, it still doesn't explain the other body, the look-alike."

Chin agreed. "Nothing explains that. We may have to find the guy to learn why he did that."

Abby and Kono exchanged looks.

Steve noticed. "Out with it, ladies."

They both pursed their lips and said in perfect synchronization, as if they had rehearsed it, "You assume it was a man."

Steve pushed aside the empty Styrofoam container. He thought about it, rather than instantly rebuff their statement. He spoke slowly. "I know it could have been a woman. And I can't explain this. But I really think it was a man."

Chin asked, "Do you sense an accomplice, or are we looking at just one person here?"

Again Steve went into his mind, and feelings. He drew a complete blank. "I can't get any sense about that at all. Maybe, or maybe not. We need to keep the option open that there may be an accomplice."

Chin's phone rang, and he looked at it. "It's Max." He hit talk and asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Good morning to you, Detec … Chin. Yes, indeed I found something."

"We're all in Steve's room. Let me put you on speaker."

As soon as he did, everyone still gathered around. "What have you got, Max?" asked Steve, suddenly tense as one of 4 bowstrings in the room.

"Rather than take the time to indulge in civilized greetings to all of you, let me ease your minds. I am now 100 percent certain the subject of the autopsy currently interrupted to give you the news as soon as possible is not repeat **not** Detective Williams: this man has a gall bladder. Danny's was removed as part of the living donor liver transplant."

Four sighed with relief. "Thanks, Max," said Chin. Steve was doing fierce battle with a large lump in his throat, and a sudden desire to burst into relieved tears, and he was absolutely not going to do that. He ran his left hand over his face, and into his hair. Abby and Kono were hugging, and their eyes were wet.

"I must return to the autopsy and will have the full results, minus toxicology, later today. I am not sure I will be able to establish positive identification, but I am sure that this is not Danny Williams."

"Thanks, Max. We are all very relieved." Steve and Chin spoke at the same time.

"You are most welcome. Have a good morning, ladies and gentlemen."

Chin had no sooner stowed his phone in his pocket than it rang again. "It's Duke." He switched him immediately to speaker. "Yes, Duke? By the way, the body was definitely not Danny's. Max just called."

"That's a relief," said Duke, and they could hear him spreading the news to other officers working the case. "I thought you might want to know, Lisa Lane just filed a Missing Persons case on her husband, Neil Lane, and she brought photos. You should see these. I'm sending them to Chin's phone now."

"How long has he been missing?" asked Abby, fluffing her short blonde ponytail, still slightly damp from her quick shower.

"Mrs. Lane has not seen her husband for 24 hours now, but he did show up for work yesterday, at least for part of the day. He is unaccounted for after 3 pm yesterday afternoon. He was supposed to meet a co-worker and failed to show."

Steve spoke up. "Be sure to send Max the records of any scars or identifying marks such as x-rays or surgeries, dental records – anything that would have survived the fire."

"Will do, Steve."

As soon as the call ended, Chin looked at the pictures, and then looked at them again. "Wow. Facially, no resemblance at all. But look at the full length photo. He and Danny are almost identical. Height, weight, proportions, and in this photo at least, even posture. I think that would freak me out, to have a physical doppelganger out there."

Abby grinned and whispered to Chin, "I would still know you over any look-alike." Chin felt a blush creep up, and hoped no one but Abby noticed.

Everyone studied the photos. The resemblance was uncanny and unmistakable. "But why did someone need a body double?" asked Steve. "I want every piece of information you can dig up on Neil Lane, including his birth weight and primary school grades. Especially, how did someone else realize Neil Lane had a … hold a sec." Steve's brows furrowed. "What if … no, that doesn't make sense either."

"What?!" said three voices, equally curious, high strung, and worried.

Steve shifted on the bed, trying to get the ache in his broken right arm to ease. "It doesn't make sense to snatch Danny if Neil Lane was the actual target. And it makes no sense to kill Neil Lane to throw off Danny being taken."

"It buys time," said Chin, very quietly.

"And what difference would a few hours make?" Kono was into full analytical mode. "If Steve had been killed, too, it would have delayed us even longer, because two bodies would have had to be identified by autopsy."

"Which brings up another question," Abby pointed out, her eyes puzzled. "How was Steve thrown from the car? Was it an accident, or did it in fact happen on purpose?"

Steve leaned back against his pillows and looked at the uninteresting light on the ceiling of his hospital room. "I need my computer, Chin."

"Sorry, got it right here." Chin pulled out Steve's laptop from the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

"Thanks. I need the analysis of the accident scene, every scrap of info on Neil Lane. I need to talk to Doc Cornett again, and I need everything from the crime scene investigation of Danny's house. I also need a change of clothes STAT because I am not waiting to be discharged. We need to interview Mrs. Lane, and I want to be there. And I hope Max finishes that autopsy fast, because I have a feeling Danny is in real trouble."

Kono smiled. "We figured you would want an early exit from here, whether or not you get permission. So I am your official babysitter, to keep you here, backed up if necessary by Officer Pua, the Tripler Security Guard, and the fact that if you try to get out of that bed to do more than go to the little boy's room, I will whip your ass and throw you back into bed if that is what it takes."

Steve looked stubborn. "Who says I won't throw you right back?"

Chin smiled. "Me. You 'throw' my cousin and I will whoop your ass, Boss. The day you begin hitting women who are not perps out to harm you is the day we teach you never to do that again."

"I wouldn't hurt her!"

"Darn right," Kono almost purred. "Adam would break your other arm, anyway. Not worth it just to get out of hospital a few hours early."

"Fine," grumbled Steve. "Everyone, get to work. I want answers yesterday."


	9. Chapter 9 Christmas Cards & The Plan

**Chapter 9** "Christmas Cards  & The Escape Plan"

.

.

 **A/N:** (11 August 2016) Wow, you are the best! I appreciate so much reviews and reads and favorites and follows—you are really the best! I apologize for not replying to reviews, but I figure the best thank you is a new chapter! Life is a lot crazy right now, so it's either write chapters or write thank yous. I truly do appreciate the effort you put into reviewing, and I am continually motivated to keep writing!

Hopefully Danny's plan is understandable. Let me know if it is not clear, and I will definitely make it clear. It is not an easy plan, and there will be bumps along the way…

Now and then I have to stop what I'm writing and look up something, like when is sunset in Honolulu (or thereabouts) on December 20th of this year. I also found the recipe for Danny's favorite Malasadas, because if there is one thing about research, it is that it is like looking up videos: one leads to another which leads to another which leads to another. I have been good about not digressing too much.

I took such a liking to Dr. Cornett that I've given him a family. He won't detract from the main characters, though.

The whole mystery is about to become more defined, and then comes the figuring out just what is going on, and who did it!

Enjoy! I truly hope you do!

Usual disclaimer: CBS owns and makes money off Hawaii Five-0. I write using their characters and have fun, but make no money. This is for enjoyment, and because I'm hooked on the darn show!

.

.

 **Chapter 9** "Christmas Cards  & The Escape Plan"

.

.

Steve did get a chance to talk to Dr. Cornett when the tall, fit, going-gray-haired man stopped in to see him on his morning rounds. It was just after 9 a.m. He greeted the security officer and Officer Kai amiably, then entered Steve's room, and greeted Kono with a nod. "You got the short straw?" he asked her, noting her working with her laptop on a very makeshift desk near the door, while Steve ignored her and him as he was focusing on his own laptop, currently displaying photos from the crime scene that was Danny's house.

Kono smiled brightly, briefly. They had all gotten to know Dr. Cornett when Steve had needed the liver transplant from Danny. He was Danny's doctor, and had handled his part of the transplant plus Danny's lengthy, complicated follow-up.

Kono, reading through the file on Danny's car, and the scene where Steve had been found by the newlywed couple, was glad for a short interruption. "I volunteered because I knew Steve would respond better to a woman babysitter, and Abby had to do interviews and partner Chin running around collecting information."

"Good logic, I suppose. Could I have some privacy with Steve, and then I'll be out of your way." Cornett sounded subdued.

"Sure! Uh, are you okay?"

Steve's head snapped up and he started paying attention.

"I'm fine." He sighed and admitted that he had received Danny's Christmas card in the morning mail. "So did my daughter, the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who helped Grace Williams when she had to stay overnight after she broke _her_ arm at Thanksgiving."

"The cheerleading accident," said Kono, remembering a frazzled Danny and Steve at the football game where Grace had been improperly caught after a lift move, and been instead dropped to the ground, landing on her left arm. All of Five-0 had been attending the game to have some fun time together, and all of them had practically bi-located to her side as soon as she let out the shocked gasp that caused Danny to "beam" to her side so fast, the others had seemed almost slow comparatively.

"I didn't realize Grace's nurse is your daughter," said Steve. "Grace just calls her Nurse Becca and raves how now she wants to be a Pediatric Nurse rather than a Marine Biologist."

"Yup. Rebecca Cornett, all 5 feet 2 inches of her. She has a fraternal twin sister who teaches kindergarten. I got lucky with my kids. My son is on active duty as a trauma surgeon at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Takes after his old man."

"LRMC," nodded Steve. "I was through there once. Glad it was only once, but the care is the best there is. How long has your son been over there?"

"Almost four years. He gets to come home this year for Christmas. Flies in in three more days, gets to stay two weeks, but the last week he'll be on Maui while we watch the grandkids. Belated honeymoon."

"Flies in Christmas Eve," murmured Kono. "And Maui is a great place to honeymoon."

"I won't still be a patient, but if possible, I'd like to meet him. We might know some people in common, besides you. Er, if it would not interrupt your holiday plans." Steve was relieved when his doctor said he thought it could be arranged.

"I work part of Christmas, but I get a few days off while he's home. -More, if it can be arranged. I'm sure David would be happy to meet you. Hopefully you will have found Danny by then."

Kono felt as if her insides had twisted when Dr. Cornett had mentioned receiving Danny's Christmas card. "We hope so too. Hope he sent a good card."

Dr. Cornett pulled it out of his lab coat, almost gingerly, and passed the card around. It was a photo of Danny and his kids, Grace and Charlie, all wearing festive holiday colors, smiling huge smiles, and hiding the cast on Grace's left arm, almost a mirror image of Steve's. Under a traditional greeting, Danny had written in his legible hand writing, "To the best Doc. Seriously, we qualify for a frequent flier discount! Not that we want to use it! Thanks for taking good care of us! Have a great Christmas, you and yours!" It was signed by Danny and Grace, and included Charlie's attempt at printing his name in red crayon.

"Awwww, that's so cute," said Kono. She knew she would find a card just like it in her own mailbox when she went home later in the day.

Steve smiled sadly. "I took that photo. We did our cards together when he had his kids last weekend. We mailed them day before yesterday."

Sure enough, the postmark was Monday the nineteenth of December.

"We'll find him," said Steve. "He loves Christmas." He pushed aside the gloom he felt deep inside, because they would have to get very lucky to find Danny by the holiday he loved so much. "So, you are a Grandpa!"

"Twice! My wife and I are quite delighted." The doc returned the card to his lab coat pocket, as carefully as he had taken it out. "I really hope Danny can spend the holiday with his kids and friends." Doc Cornett had once said he became attached to his patients, and apparently it was quite true. But it was also true that Cornett was hiding behind his professionalism. "Okay, Steve, time to be poked and prodded and asked questions."

"I am aquiver with anticipation. Let's get this over with."

Kono slipped out of the room with the murmur that she was going to call Adam, her husband.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny had been busy since naming Angel, and realizing he had to be very careful with everything left in the box with him. He knew the best plan he could come up with to get out would take time, and it all began with him somehow getting the chain unfastened from the bolt on the floor.

However, he had made sure his supplies were organized first. Obviously, he had been left barely a month's worth of water, and cat food. He was going to have to go on a starvation diet to make his peanut butter and crackers last a month, but at least he did have water. And light.

He kept an eye on the glow stick, still bright. He really had no idea how long it had been making light, but he had spent time figuring out the currently-unlit string of Christmas lights up at the ceiling. He saw one small hole, glued closed and entirely out of reach, but through it was a black-coated wire which attached to the lights on one end. He had seen them before: there had to be a solar panel outside the box somewhere, and it would collect the sunlight needed to power the battery that in turn powered the lights. They would come on at dusk, and last about 8 hours.

With the glow sticks lasting twelve each, he had a month's worth of 20 hours of light, then 4 hours of darkness, after which the Christmas lights would come back on.

Those four hours of darkness would be when Danny tried to sleep. He had to set up a schedule. He used the notebook and mechanical pencil to make a calendar of sorts, so he could keep track of the days, and if he could tell if it was storming outside. This way he could have a pretty accurate idea of _when_ he was, since he did not know where.

Danny remembered the date he was drugged: December 20, and it had been a couple of hours after sunset, which at this time of year was a little before 6 pm. He remembered the Christmas lights had been relatively bright the first time he had awakened. Later on, they had been much dimmer, and he had used the first glow stick, which would last for a few more hours.

By his calculations, it was somewhere roughly around 7 am on December 21st. "First day of Winter. How fitting," he thought. The darkest day of the year.

That meant he had started the glow stick glowing close to 2 am that morning. Which meant it would last until 2 pm, at which time it would be dark and he would have to rest during those hours. At a little before 6 pm, the Christmas lights would come back on, if he was right about the solar panel.

Danny carefully noted when he had fed Angel, and when he had drunk and how much. He knew the minimum amount of water for survival in dire circumstances was about three quarters of a gallon, or 96 ounces. That meant a maximum of 6 water bottles per day. Angel's portion would come out of his, since she did not drink that much, and he had to stretch the water as long as he could. He would make sure she had enough, but he would literally have to watch out not to even spill any. Every drop counted now. Washing was something he simply had no water for, but he did have the baby wipes. He could keep his hands and face clean. Soon his beard would begin being more than scratchy stubble, and his hair would start to grow back. That would help him keep track of time.

Food was definitely going to be a problem. He would become well acquainted with hunger, but at least he had something to eat. Luckily, too, he could afford to lose a few pounds. He knew he would do just that, starting very soon. He would wait until he was hungry, then allow himself a 'spoonful' (the smallest amount he could measure on the end of one side of the wooden tongue depressor sticks he had for a spoon.) That would be when Angel ate, and she would get most of a packet of cat food every day. He would only save a little each day, to make sure she did not run out, but he could not stand the thought of her going hungry.

Later in the 'day', he would have a cracker and a very few raisins. And a few hours later, he would allow himself another spoonful of peanut butter. In three days, or four if he could wait that long, he would have one of the tiny containers of pineapple juice. He would substitute that for the raisins that day.

It was going to be miserable, but he knew it was far better than being left with nothing. Danny knew it would take perhaps two weeks to get out of the box, maybe longer. It all depended on how fast he could rid himself of the chain tethering him to that bolt.

Angel had been napping, but she woke up, yawned and stretched, and rolled over against Danny, who was sitting next to her blanket, writing in his notebook. She meowed softly at him, so he put aside the notebook after he stowed the pencil inside the plastic spiral. He slid it under the blanket after tearing out one piece of paper.

Angel watched that paper very closely, while rubbing up against his knee. He petted her for a short time, enjoying hearing her purr. They had a little conversation about how well she had slept, and if she ever did anything but give him advice and sleep. She flipped back and forth on her back, talking back indecipherably, until she finally rose and stood on his legs. She rubbed his face and stared very curiously at the paper.

"Oh, you want to know what this is? By the way, I put litter in your box, so, you know, if you need to do that, you now have a bathroom."

This last part did not interest Angel in the slightest –at least not yet. She was intent on the paper.

"I don't have a proper cat toy for you, but I still have the evidence that paper and you have a thing. So I thought I would make you a toy."

He held it up and she took a swipe at it. "Ah ha, see? I was right. You need a proper paper toy, because the notebook is off limits."

He crumpled it into a ball, making just as much crumple-noise as he could. Angel looked very interested, her eyes practically forgetting to blink, the pupils huge. She had hunkered down flat, and was ready to pursue that little ball of paper wherever Danny tossed it.

He finally let it sail across the box, and she dug her back claws into his legs and launched herself after it.

"OW, dangit!" He hiked up his pant legs and looked at the 8 neat holes she had left in his legs, 4 each. They were not bad, and only bled a little. "I forgot about your claws."

Angel fetched the paper ball back, and dropped it at his feet, and looked contrite. "What did I expect from a baby kitten?" After a few pets, he picked up the ball, feeling very pleased she had brought it back. He tossed it again, and this time she launched from the floor, and went crazy batting the ball all over the box. When she wanted him to toss it again, she trotted back to Danny with the ball in her mouth, and dropped it at his feet again. He was charmed.

"Grace and Charlie would so love you," he said, and then swallowed hard, and drank a sip of water, cleared his throat, and then sent the ball sailing again. But Angel held off in chasing it, instead leaning her head against him and purring comfortingly. "Those are my kids. I love them," he explained, and she jumped onto his knees, which were still drawn up from when he had checked her neat claw marks. She rubbed against his face, and licked the tears he was trying to keep from sliding down his face.

"Meow."

"I will love you for them, but when we get out of this box, you are going to meet them and they are going to demand to keep you, but I will keep you at MY house, because I think you and I should stick together, right? Besides, Rachel and Step-Stan are both allergic to cats, I think, so you have to stay with me."

She jumped over to Danny's right shoulder and purred as she rubbed against his ear and cheek. "I will make sure Charlie is gentle with you, but you have to promise not to scratch them, or me for that matter. I understand about the toy. Accidents happen."

Danny had himself under better control. He simply could not think of not getting out of the box, with Angel, and returning to his family, to his whole extended ohana. "You can scratch Steve, though, if he's being a pain." Danny grinned, Angel purred, and then he put her down on the floor again, and she ran to the ball and chased it all around the box.

Danny watched and then moved over to where the chain was bolted into the floor of the box, with those ridiculously large bolts. He needed to be free of the ring, so he selected the closest link he could work with, and began to scrape one of the curving ends along the edge of the plate the ring was attached to. He knew it would take a long time to scrape through it, and was appalled by the sound it made, but he would keep at it as long as it took to make the end break. The chain would still be stuck to his ankle, but at least he would have no tether.

Besides, he would need the remaining links to cut through the wall of the box, to make a hole just big enough for him to escape through. It would take a long time to get out, but he was determined.


	10. Chapter 10 The Marathon Begins

**Chapter 10** "The Marathon Begins"

 **A/N:** (14 August 2016) "Thank you" is so inadequate for your reviews and encouragements! You truly are the best readers! I want to give you the best possible chapters I can write! You deserve that!

The story is still in the early stages, even though the plotting far surpasses where the writing has gone. That is why I can get the chapters out this fast! Even with a head cold!

Enjoy, and if something strikes you wrong, or jars, or you have any critique or criticism, or you like something and want to say so, feel free. I don't bite!

The usual disclaimer still holds! CBS still owns Hawaii Five-0. I only own the DVDs of the first 5 seasons. (Season 6 DVDs coming out in September!)

.

.

 **Chapter 10** "The Marathon Begins"

.

.

Danny had noticed in the last half hour that it seemed to be raining outside the box, the steady kind that could last for hours, to judge by the change in the air. The walls and floor had become damp and slick, and the air in the box now had a sour, metallic smell from the dampened rust. It seemed like the rain was going to continue for awhile, so Danny had already noted it on the calendar he was keeping. Now the notebook was on top of the blanket, near to where he was working on the chain link. He had also moved Angel's water bowl to the edge of the blanket, and he had filled it up again, and his own water bottle, so he would not have to move around much on the slick metal floor. The less he moved around, the less dirty his bare feet would become.

As it was, he had realized almost immediately that he would have to help Angel clean her paws and fur, if she got them dirty from wet rust. It could not be healthy for her to ingest rust, so he would use the baby wipes if he had to. Luckily, she did not seem to like stepping on the wet metal, so she was staying on the blanket.

To help keep himself and Angel from getting dirtier than was unavoidable, Danny had spread the blanket out on the floor, which meant one side would now have to stay stained, while hopefully the upward facing side would stay remain relatively clean. He was glad that Angel had stopped batting the ball everywhere and now seemed content to play with her paper ball toy on the blanket. She kept kicking it with her back feet while her front paws held it and her teeth tried to kill it.

Danny stayed focused on the task of scraping the end of the link of chain against the side of the sharp-edged square plate bolted to the floor. Danny also kept himself from touching the damp, staining rust as much as possible. He did not sit on the floor as he worked on the chain, but crouched down. It took focus and concentration to scrape the link of chain while he was balancing essentially on the balls of his feet, on a damp, slick floor. Danny thought his captor was a particularly despicable person before reverting to his mantra, which was "ESCAPE". Likely, his captor had not even thought about the way damp air would make his prison even more uncomfortable, and make his supplies diminish even faster. The cat food was safe enough, in sealed pouches, and the moisture would not bother the peanut butter. But it would possibly get to the crackers. They were not yet opened, so were still safe in their plastic liner, but once he had to break into them, and the raisins, dampness would not be a friend.

Eventually Angel brought the ball back to Danny, who put it inside his notebook. Angel went to lap up some more water, staying on the blanket. Danny had put her water bowl right at the edge of the blanket. Danny reached for his own water bottle and squirted water into his mouth. He had no way to clean the bottle or spout, so he had to avoid touching the surface. He could open the spout by pressing on a thumb lever. Releasing the lever closed it. It held 16 ounces, and this was his third bottle, already carefully noted in the notebook.

Six was ideal for a day, but he admitted to himself that he would probably try to limit his intake to five per day. If he conserved even a little bit of water per day, he could have a superSeal sponge bath even Steve would approve of, using a re-moistened baby wipe. That would be the best he could do. Who knew what other unforeseen circumstances might arise? On general principle now, he would conserve everything.

Angel watched him drink, then trotted to the part of the blanket closest to him and the notebook (held open by the paper ball inside it) and did an almost perfect 'sphinx' pose. He reached out to pet her, then returned to work on the link of chain. Every time he turned to watch Angel, he found her in an ever-changing number of cute sleepy poses. He wished he had a camera!

He kept sawing the link back and forth, noticing that when it heated up from the friction, it got hot enough that it could burn him if he touched the chain. He retrieved the notebook, slipping the paper toy inside his coverall pocket, and used it to fan the chain while he worked, which slowed the rate of heating. Still, there were times when he had to stop and let the link and the side of the metal plate cool. While it did that, he stretched, for it was very cramped bending over working on the chain. He had to keep as healthy as he could, so he didn't waste any time if there was something productive he could do.

Angel decided his stretching was a form of play, so she tried to imitate whatever pose he was in, depending on what he was stretching. If Danny put his arms out in front, so did Angel. If they reached upwards, for he was especially working on his shoulder motions, lest they tighten from the tiny motions of the back and forth, Angel reached upwards, and this looked totally silly and brought a bark of laughter from Danny. He began to do things just to see if the kitten would try to copy him, but she gave up when she could simply not stand on one foot. She rolled, so Danny picked her up and petted her until she purred herself into sleepy kitten bliss.

By then, the chain had cooled enough for Danny to resume work on it, so Angel returned to her blanket and curled into a proper cat circle and fell asleep on top of the notebook, which he extricated carefully.

While she slept, he kept scraping away while fanning, noticing the small progress he had made so far on the link. This was going to take a few days!

It didn't matter. He would keep at it. Escape was a marathon, and he had roughly a month to get out of the box. This was the first mile. He had a long way to go, but he could do it.

He _had_ to do it.

Danny kept working, but he found his mind wandering. Who had locked him in the box, and why? That question troubled him a lot, because he had been a cop for a long time before coming to Hawaii, and had made numerous enemies. He had made many working with Five-0. He began thinking back on old cases, people who might be released from jail or prison in Newark, or anyone from cases in Hawaii. He had been giving no warnings from Newark about pending releases, and things were relatively quiet for the moment in Honolulu. Not that that meant anything, for people slipped through the cracks, and family members took it into their head to get revenge. Gangs had initiations, and cops were preferred targets.

But this was personal. Who had hated him for a long time, and only now gotten around to doing something like this? Logically, someone had been let out of prison and come to take revenge. Someone who knew about drugs, and had access to this box, or who was using one abandoned somewhere unlikely to be noticed.

They had to be particularly vicious, to give him a month's worth of food, not to mention tossing a baby cat in with him -with supplies! It motivated him to try to escape, because he was not going to be the cause of death of an innocent little kitten. Anyone who knew him well at all knew he would figure out a way to escape. The very chain that was supposed to keep him _from_ getting out was what he was going to use _to_ get out.

Still, it all boiled down to not having any idea who specifically would have done this to him, just that it was probably someone he had put in jail in the past, someone just getting out.

He wondered if Steve, Chin, Kono and Abby had any leads on who had taken him, and where he was. He had to assume Steve was alive. He even thought about the possibility he was wrong, that the note was right. But he discarded what the note said as fiction. He would know if Steve were dead. He would simply know, and he did not feel that at all.

When his brother Matty had been killed, he had felt it all along. All the while he was gathering money to ransom him, he had known he was wasting his time. He had known it in his heart. But he had to try, because it was his brother! He had to try. When it turned out he was right, he thought about all the disappointments and hopes destroyed, all the people he had put in danger, and how angry he had been that Matty had done something so stupid, so illegal, that he got himself killed, and left his brother to clean up after him. If Matty had stayed on the right side of the law, he would not have died as he did.

Danny felt very much like Steve was alive. It wasn't wishful thinking. He knew. He and Steve were closer than many brothers, and had an instinctive feel for one another. Over the years, on several occasions when Danny was having problems dealing with a particular issue, Steve would know without being told. How many times had he called Danny in the middle of the night, somehow knowing that his partner had had a nightmare about his brother Matty's death and everything about Marco Reyes, his brother's killer? Or any number of other things? Steve would just know, and Danny's phone would ring in the middle of the night.

And he did the same with Steve. Steve liked to believe he successfully kept his problems to himself, but he was an open book to Danny. A certain lack of expression, a stillness in Steve's gaze, the smallest downward turn of his mouth, a particular way he only held his shoulders when troubled in his inscrutable way, and Danny was on it, alerted and finding which of several tricks he had to use to get Steve to open up.

Steve had no idea some of Danny's rants were diversions, to get Steve to slip up and say what was on his mind without realizing he had dropped the 'bingo' clue, the one that told Danny what he needed to know, and whether to pursue it or let it drop. If it was something about Steve's Dad, Danny would slip a word to Chin, and the two of them would work it out, since that was Chin's territory. But there were a lot of things Steve tried not to talk about, that he should talk about, so Danny would needle him until he hit the spot.

He and Steve did the same thing with Chin, Kono, and now Abby. The group was ohana, family, and they kept closer now that they knew what could happen if they drifted apart, as Lou Grover had caused them to do.

Lou was still a sore subject for Danny. He was hiding a few things concerning Lou, but he had his reasons. He had intended to do some "sharing" after Christmas, but now it looked like it would have to wait quite a little while longer.

He shifted his foot slightly, about ready to take another break to let the chain link cool again. His foot over-slid, however, and his right knee came down hard on the edge of the metal plate, right on the sharpest of the four corners. The corner gouged a nasty, deep furrow next to his knee cap, and from the way it bled, Danny knew what he really needed was stitches and bandages, while what he had was nothing at all except an up-to-date tetanus shot.

He let out a hiss of pain and a very succinct swear word.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Steve let out a hiss of pain and a very succinct swear word. "Sorry, Doc. My knee is sore when you press it there."

"Sorry, Steve," murmured Dr. Cornett, checking Steve's knee movement and soreness. "You seem to have developed a bit of tendonitis in your patellar tendon. It is bruised, but not badly. You must have gotten that when you were thrown from the car, but it should ease up soon. Try not to bend your knee to the point of pain, and I would also advise alternately icing and using heat on your knee, just below the kneecap, for twenty minutes at a time, several times a day. And try to remember that, right now, for any number of aches and ouches, that running is not your friend for the time being."

"Can I take any anti-inflammatory meds yet? Or any pain meds? My arm aches quite a bit," admitted Steve as his doc finished writing some notes onto his tablet chart.

Dr. Cornett shook his head sympathetically. "The key labs should be back soon, though. Your organs are fine, but I need to know what drugs were or are in your system, and those tests are tricky, so they take longer. As soon as they are in, I'll be back to discuss them with you and in all probability the nurse will follow with your release papers. I know you … want to get busy on finding Danny without being stuck to the hospital."

Steve let out a long sigh. "I shouldn't complain, really. If things had gone just a little bit differently, we would not even be having this conversation. I'd be next to the non-Danny-body on another of Max's autopsy tables." His shoulders slumped as his left hand fussed with the sling on his right arm. "I need to find him, Doc. I feel he is still alive, but he's in a bad place. Whoever took him doesn't intend for him to survive for long."

Dr. Cornett was silent for a few seconds, checking the labs that had returned. He looked into Steve's eyes. "Uhm. This isn't the most prudent course, but I feel it is warranted. The only reason I'm holding you here is those labs, and so you can rest. But I know you can't rest, under the circumstances. I'll have the nurse prepare your release papers now, but I'll need you back here for an hour or so when I get the toxicology results. In the meantime, don't take any meds, which includes stimulants like caffeine, or depressants like alcohol, which you aren't allowed anyway. Go easy on yourself. You have a lot of bruises that are going to hurt worse tomorrow than they do today." He paused, and asked, worriedly, "Let me know when you find him, okay?"

Steve's face lit with gratitude. "I understand, and I'll follow your instructions. And you bet I'll let you know when we find him. I appreciate this, Doc. I really do."

Cornett nodded, his hazel eyes serious, full of concern. "Give the nurse twenty to thirty minutes, then you're officially sprung." His pager beeped then, and he looked at it. "A STAT ER summons. But I'll have the nurse in with those papers." He pushed out a breath quickly. "Find him. Becca is worried, too." He was heading for the door as he spoke into his pager, in his ER doctor voice. "Dr. Cornett, on my way."

Kono came in, and asked why the doc was in such a rush. Steve answered as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "He's got an emergency in ER. Kono, do I have clothes? He's springing me early because I need to start working the case to find Danny. We have to find him."

"Let me call Chin and Abby. They can grab your bag in Danny's ….." She had almost said "car". Her throat tightened. "I'll have them swing by your house or the office, whichever is closer to where they are. Where will you want to go first?"

Steve's face was grim. "Danny's house. I need to look at it and see if anything jogs my memory, or looks out of place. Right now I'm going to take a quick shower, before the nurse arrives with my release papers."

Suddenly Steve's phone rang, and he looked at who it was. His face turned ashen, and he looked panicked and sick. "Oh God. It's Grace. What do I tell her?"


	11. Chapter 11 Danny's Alive

**Chapter 11** "Danny's Alive"

.

 **A/N:** I think I have the best readers and reviewers on the whole site! Thank you so much! I never lack for inspiration to keep going, even when my headcold has turned into one of those "it's never going away" ones. I know it will. And my spirits are up because you all are the best. Every follow and favorite makes me feel astonished and happy!

Sue2556 reminded me (thank you soooooo much!) to let people know how long Danny has been missing. Eeeps, sorry, I should have been doing that, as chapters do make it seem longer than it has actually been.

 **Danny went missing on the evening of Tuesday, 20 December; Steve was found in the wee hours of Wednesday, 21 December, and now it is about 10 hours later, which means** **Danny has actually only been missing about 16 hours** **when this chapter begins.** I will put reminders in the content of the chapters as often as it fits, and in these notes every chapter. It really does seem like it has been longer!

Usual disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

.

 **Chapter 11** "Danny's Alive"

.

.

Tuesday, 21 December 2016, 11:30 am

Steve stared at his ringing phone, making what Danny would definitely have called "aneurysm face" while trying to figure out what to tell Grace. Kono had no advice, making her own version of a face on the verge of uncertainty and panic.

"You have to answer her call!" Kono blurted, when the phone had rung 4 times.

"I know! I just … oh God." Steve rubbed his left hand over his darkening beard stubble before he hit talk, and his voice changed into his 'I'm talking to Grace' voice, only much more nervous. "Hi, Gracie. Are you at school today?"

"Hi, Uncle Steve. I'm hiding out in the girl's locker room bathroom, so I could call you. I need to talk to you, if I'm not interrupting something, that is." She sounded worried.

Grace Williams was a newly minted fifteen, attending The Academy of the Sacred Heart, the Catholic private school she had been attending since she was nine. Her mom, Rachel, and step-father, not terribly affectionately called Step-Stan, had transferred her from a similar Catholic school in Newark, New Jersey to this one in Honolulu after their move. Danny had scrambled as fast as he could to follow with his own move to Honolulu, to be near his daughter.

Grace had been this little child when Steve had first met her, and now she was fast growing into a young lady, able to look her Dad in the eyes if she wore heels he approved of for a fifteen year old. When she wore heels _she_ liked, she did look Danny in the eyes. She had long, straight hair of a light brown, brown eyes, but the shape of her face was pure Danny's contribution, except in a feminine way. Grace was lovely, and every bit her father's daughter, even if she only got to see him every other weekend, and any other time Rachel and Step-Stan needed her picked up or taken to school because they had something that prevented them from doing that. Danny was always happy to do anything that let him spend extra time with Grace, and his little 4-year-old son, Charlie.

Grace had been calling Steve McGarrett "Uncle Steve" since her father had become friends with the partner he had at first loathed. Steve thought of her as something between a daughter and a niece.

"No, no, I'm not busy, Gracie." He grimaced and sent Kono a panicked look when he asked, "What can I do for my favorite cheerleader?"

"It's about my daddy," she said quickly. "I know something is wrong. Don't treat me like a kid and tell me everything is okay, because I know it's not. I feel it, Uncle Steve. Daddy didn't call me last night to say goodnight, and he didn't pick me up for school this morning like he was supposed to. Mom said she left a message on his phone last night, when she was at the airport and saw that the flight was delayed two hours. And then Danno didn't come this morning, so I had to ask Step-Stan, because Mom was having morning sickness and the housekeeper had already left for the grocery store." She hesitated, but continued, "Step-Stan was angry and said Daddy is unreliable, which isn't true at all! But I know something is wrong. I called him three times, and his phone must be broken again. This is the first chance I got to call you. Please tell me what's wrong?"

Steve heard the plea in her voice, and completely chickened out on telling her anything yet. They had the day to search for any leads, and there was even the possibility Danny would be found before Grace had to know her intuition was right. "I'm so sorry, Gracie! Danno got called out on a case last night, and he's off island, and he did break his cell phone, uh, he, uh, ran over it with his car, thinks he dropped it and it was under the wheel when he pulled out. Uh. He's replacing his phone soon as he gets back into town. I know you will be the first person he calls!"

"Uncle Steve, are you sure? Your voice sounds funny."

"Of course it does, Gracie - I'm at the hospital where I just got a cast on my right arm, almost exactly like yours! I fell and landed all wrong, and I was going to come and compare casts with you just as soon as I got the chance! I want you to sign it."

Kono was giving him one of her rare disappointed looks, but then shrugged and quietly called her cousin Chin.

The diversion was successful. "Uncle Steve, you broke your arm, too?"

"I did! And guess who my doctor is? The dad of the nurse who took care of you when you broke yours!"

"How cool! He did Daddy's liver transplant too! You and Nurse Becca need to meet, Uncle Steve." Her voice grew conspiratorial. "I think Dad likes her, and I know she likes him. A woman can tell. Promise to help me think of a way to get those two to start dating? -Ooops, gotta go. The bell rang for class! Tell Dad to call me after school! Bye! Love you!"

And just like that, Steve was staring at an ended call while Kono was finishing up a call to Chin and Abby. "She knows something is up. I could not tell her, Kono. I froze. All I said was 'cluck, cluck, cluck.' Dammit, I hate to lie to her like that."

"I can't judge you, Boss. I don't think I would have been able to tell her, either. We don't know much yet, and she was at school. But if we don't find Danny today, or get some solid leads, she is going to be massively upset with you." Kono added, "Chin is swinging by your house, so they'll be here with your clothes by the time the papers are signed. I hope he remembers to bring you underwear and shoes. Hurry up and get your shower. Don't forget to put the plastic sleeve over your cast. Need help with that?"

"Yes, but first I gotta call Chin! He won't know which boots."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

As soon as Danny hissed and swore, Angel sat up on the blanket, eyes wide, ears flatter than normal. She watched him closely. "Sorry, kitten. It is impolite to swear in front of females. I apologize, but this is not good. I've got to fix it so it won't infect, and I have zero bandages or … wait. Maybe I do." He had pulled up his right pant leg, folding it out of the way once he could see the gouged cut on his knee, which was jagged and deep enough that it definitely needed stitches. It was bleeding freely, so he let it, while he avoided stepping on the blanket on his way to the stash of things left in the box. He left a trail of little red drops.

Danny singled out the roll of paper towels and the toilet paper, and one of the little paper plates, and brought them over to the edge of the blanket, where he sat down so the blood did not get on the garish pineapple print blanket. Angel came over to sit beside him, sniffing but not touching his supplies.

He made a pad out of a half square of paper towel, and held it to his leg while he used a very small amount of water to wash the cut, hissing again as it stung fiercely. The pad caught the water and blood as it ran down his leg. Then he folded the pad to expose a cleaner side and put that directly over the cut, holding it in place by leaning the side of his other knee against it. It stung and throbbed, but there was nothing Danny could do about that.

He had to use the material from the right pantleg to make the ties that would hold the bandage in place, so he ripped off his pant leg, just above the blood stained knee. The legs were straight, and he tore from the top of the cut in the fabric, over to the inseam, ripped through that, and continued across underneath to the outer seam, which he ripped through with more effort, as it was double stitched. Then he tore across to meet that, which left him with a tube of rolled up pantleg. As a starting point to tearing the tube free from his leg and the chain, he used the cut the metal had made. He ripped it all the way down to the hem, and after that the fabric was free of his leg and the chain that would otherwise have trapped it. He thought briefly about how stupid he would look with one long pant leg, and one in knee shorts, but who was there to see it anyway? Angel might find it amusing.

It took Danny a bit of desperate tearing the long way, but eventually he had six thin strips to wrap around his knee, that would serve to hold a pad in place. He used another half square of paper towel, which would barely cover the cut, and then made a covering for that with folds of toilet paper. He laid these aside and made a bandage cover from the paper plate, folding it into a square that was reinforced by all the round parts folded inwards. He worked on the plate until it had a softness to it, or the stiffness would end up being a problem, not an aid.

All that was left to do after that was to wait for the cut to stop bleeding freely. The half square of folded paper towel was catching things, and looking like another should be used, but Danny was in Extreme Conservation Mode, and so that square had to do. The fabric left over from the torn pant leg was folded and laid aside. It would be kept with the paper towels, the food and water in what he was starting to think of as the pantry.

Angel carefully sniffed his knee without touching it. Danny petted her and she hopped into his lap, doing her flop of bliss along with her happy purr, especially when he talked to her. "Your human is not the most resourceful one out there, actually," he admitted wryly. "That would be Steve, who you have yet to meet. See, he's a superSEAL, which means that HE would have made an antiseptic paste out of catfood and pineapple juice, used God only knows what to create a surgical needle and sutures for this wound."

Danny sighed. "He would probably also have considered you as a potential source of food, which I promise you I will not ever do. One does not eat one's guardian Angel, right? Even if you are just a baby kitten unfortunate enough to be stuck in this place with me, it still seems very rude to even think of one's cell-mate kitten as food."

Angel sneezed, cutely, and out of childhood habit Danny said, "Bless you." Angel sat up from her flop of bliss and carefully crawled up his chest until she could pat his face gently, and gave his chin one of her love bites, the teeth barely squeezing enough to more than pinch. Her purr told him she was telling him she loved him. He gave her chin a rub, which she purred double-loud for, and Danny knew he had found her favorite way to be petted, especially when she flopped down in ultimate bliss and began curling and opening her white front paws so tightly, first one and then another, that she felt she could pick up a Q-tip in each. And then drop them and pick them up again.

If anyone had told Danny yesterday, or any previous time in his life, that he would fall head over heels for a kitten he had to share a box prison with, he would have told them they had lost it entirely and suggested psychiatric help. But Angel had purred her way into his heart, and he was no longer thinking of a life that did not have the kitten in it. "If we -cross that out- WHEN we get out of this place, you are staying with me."

The bleeding had been steadily slowing, and when it became a mere drip now and then, he covered it with the paper towel pad, then the toilet paper pad, and then the softened paper plate. He tied four of the thin fabric strips together and wrapped that around his knee, adding a fifth to get the length he needed to keep the pad in place. It was crude, but it would keep the wound from getting dirt in it. Soon, blood had seeped through the paper plate, barely, but it did not spread, so Danny hoped it would do the trick. It hurt, but not in a worrisome way. Since he would have to move around on it, he hoped it didn't start to hurt worse.

Danny was worried about infection, there was no denying that. So he would have a way to quantify that the gouge was getting better or worse, he palpated the area around it and right over it, drawing a diagram in his notebook and writing down the level of pain. He knew what infection felt like, so he would be able to tell if it was getting worse.

Danny turned around to put the notebook further behind him on the blanket, and oddly enough that was the moment he realized this was not a normal shipping container. He patted Angel and settled her in the middle of the blue pineapple print, and studied the walls, which he also noticed were not as sweaty. Apparently the rain had stopped. The floor was drying, too. The metal floor.

Shipping containers had wood or plywood floors.

They also had 'corrugated' steel walls, while his were flat. It was as if a second layer of metal was fixed onto the corrugated outer walls and floor. It made Danny wonder what this box had originally intended to hold, since he could not even imagine anyone going to the trouble of reinforcing a box just to hold him. That would be insane. The logical explanation was that this box had been custom built to hold something unusually heavy.

He got up and limped to as close as he could get to the door, after he put the rest of the cloth pant leg with the rest of the stuff in the pantry, and dropped the gory folded paper towel down the latrine hole, lifting the mesh lid and letting the thing go after he rolled it up. When the mesh was lifted, there was the possibility that Angel could fall through the hole, so he pulled her catbox over on top of the mesh, so she would not be able to suffer that fate.

Then he studied the door, which he could not reach with his chained ankle. Apparently there was a reason for that: the only wall that was normal was the end that was the door. Once he was free of the bolt keeping the chain from allowing him to reach that door, he would have to cut his escape hole from that wall, because it was the only one not plated with an extra layer of metal.

Danny wondered if th who had locked him in this box had double-plated it, or merely found a shipping container already customized this way. It was probably already customized. It really was the only answer that made sense.

Sighing, and limping, he returned to the corner where the bolt still held his ankle chain. He had to switch sides as he worked, so he could keep his right leg slightly extended to avoid putting pressure on the wound, which would encourage it to stay open rather than close and heal. He had to choose a different link, so in essence he was starting over again on cutting through the link.

He went at it with determination, using the notebook as a fan. He could also see that the glow stick was dimming, which meant it was probably close to noon, and he only had two hours of light before he would have to try to sleep. During those last two hours, the light would grow ever more dim, until the chemical reaction stopped altogether and he was plunged into pitch darkness that would last until dusk turned on the Christmas lights.

He hoped. He desperately hoped those Christmas lights would come on at dusk, because he had no idea how he was going to get through the dark hours without a complete claustrophobic panic. His palms were already sweating, and it was not from the rain-dampened air. The floor and walls were now almost dry, and he could feel that warmer air was entering through the air pipe.

Panic was a real concern. "God, help me not to lose it when it gets dark. I'm stuck in this box, and –" He paused as Angel crawled into his lap, not minding the jostling she got as he scraped away at the metal link. "And thank you for the kitten named Angel," he finished his prayer, adding another fervent 'thank you' at the end, as he hugged and petted Angel for a minute before resuming his anxious work on the link, while his knee continued to very slowly bleed and hurt. Only 18 hours in the box, but it felt already like it had become an eternity.

He worked steadily, and while he did, he thought of Five-0, and especially Steve. Surely they knew something was seriously wrong by now, since Steve could have told them they were drugged.

He had to take a break to let the metal cool, so he closed his eyes and pictured Steve's face. "Steve, you better be okay. The note has to be wrong. Even Angel thinks it is wrong, and you are still alive. Angel is the kitten stuck in this box with me. She is my guardian angel, but she is a real kitten, and I am going to keep her. Listen, Steve, this box is seriously weird, meaning reinforced with flat metal on the walls, and floor, and my right ankle is chained to the corner, and I am working to get that off. I hurt my knee, so … could you and the rest of Five-0 please find me soon? I would really really really appreciate it if we could be home for Christmas, because Grace especially will be very very worried. I wish I could give you a clue who did this, but I don't have any, Steve. So, find me, okay? I have no idea where I am. I smell salt air, but that describes pretty much all of the State of Hawaii. And just so you know, I am keeping positive, and trying my best to get out of this box. Consider this a race, okay? I win if I get out before you find me, and you win if you find me before I get out. Either way works for me. Okay, buddy? Thanks. I hope the note is wrong and you do not think I am dead. I'm not dead. Steve, I am not dead, but that will change if I do not get out of this box. I am sending you mental snapshots of the inside of the box, to see if that helps."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Steve had been sprung from Tripler, and he was riding in the passenger seat of Chin Ho Kelly's 2-door, 1965 red Ford Mustang, while Chin drove.

Kono and Abby were coming in Kono's also red car.

They were quiet, because they had gotten word that Max had finished the autopsy on the body found in Danny's charred car. The original plan had been to head first to Danny's house, to see if it jogged Steve's memory. They had a full afternoon ahead of them, trying to figure out where Danny was.

Steve was leaning back with his eyes closed, grabbing a little rest before they arrived at the Honolulu Medical Examiner Office, a couple miles north of Queen's Hospital, on Iwilei Road. They were all used to the place, having been in it too many times to count, but Steve still quietly disliked the place.

Danny not so quietly disliked it.

"Where are you, Danny?" Steve asked the air, eyes closed, trying to focus on anything that might add up to a clue to who had taken him. And why. It was early in the investigation, but Steve still felt it had been forever. "Sixteen hours without a single rant, Danny. I can't take it." And he meant it, too.

In his mind, he saw strange pictures he could not identify, but he knew they were from Danny. Danny was trying to get in touch with him, using that partner sense they each had. He could hear Danny's voice, in his head. _"I wish I could give you a clue who did this, but I don't have any, Steve. So, find me, okay? I have no idea where I am. I smell salt air."_

That described the whole of Hawaii, except the forests and places on the big island that were far enough inland that the salt freshness did not penetrate.

" _And just so you know, I am keeping positive, and trying my best to get out of this box. Consider this a race, okay? I win if I get out before you find me, and you win if you find me before I get out. Either way works for me. Okay, buddy? Thanks. I hope the note is wrong and you do not think I am dead. I'm not dead. Steve, I am not dead, but that will change if I do not get out of this box. I am sending you mental snapshots of the inside of the box, to see if that helps."_

Steve opened his eyes and turned to Chin. "Danny's alive. I can feel it. He's alive, and trying to get free. He doesn't know where he is. He's in a …a box. I can see it, but not well. He's alive, Chin. But he doesn't have a long time."

Chin understood partner connections. "He's alive? Is he hurt? Can you sense anything there?"

Steve closed his eyes, and felt his knee throbbing. "I think he is, but it could be me and my injuries. I don't know. But he's alive! And he needs our help to stay that way."

Chin nodded and focused on driving. "We will find him, Steve. You tell Danny not to worry. We will find him alive and well."

At least he hoped so.


	12. Chapter 12 The Autopsy & Total Darkness

**Chapter 12** "The Autopsy  & Total Darkness"

.

 **A/N:** ( 21 August 2016) You are the best readers! I appreciate you and thank you that you take time from your day to read these chapters, and those who comment and review, I really do marvel at your kindness. You inspire me, and I definitely owe you a good story and all my gratitude.

I know there is some disbelief about the Steve/Danny "psychic partner" connection used at the end of Chapter 11. I wrote that with a bad head cold while in the "brainless" stage, and therefore didn't do it right. I should have focused on the images and feelings, not on the words. Those who have experienced this kind of connection know it is real. Those who haven't, well, it's foreign to you, so you might not believe it, but it's well documented. But I wrote it wrong, and will fix that in this chapter. I should not have quoted what Danny was saying, but instead focused on the images and feelings within the words.

Also, uhm, heh, well, I forgot that there were no paper towels left in with the supplies in Danny's box. What that means is that now he has paper towels, one skinny roll! I should probably not write when brainless. Thanks to everyone who noticed for not telling me what an idiot I am when brainless.

This chapter is not being written while brainless (even if the head cold persists), so hopefully we can avoid any, uh, moments of important-detail forgetfulness.

.

.

 **Chapter 12** "The Autopsy  & Total Darkness"

.

.

December 21, noonish

Steve felt a deep sense of relief that Danny was alive. He had always felt he would know, but this time he had been worried that whoever had taken Danny would only keep him alive for a short while, long enough to torture or physically hurt his partner in terrible, vengeful ways before killing him and dumping his body where it would never be found. His biggest fear had been that they would never really know if Danny was alive, hurt and despairing, or dead after unspeakable things had been done to him.

They still had to find him. Either alive or dead, they needed to find him. The worst possible outcome as far as Steve was concerned was feeling that Danny was dead, and not being able to at least find his body, so his family and friends could pay their last respects.

The best he hoped for was to find him healthy, in time for dinner if possible. Steve thought that unlikely, given the little they had to go on. But with Danny still out there, thinking, determined to survive, with death not imminent, all they needed was one break, and they could bring him home to his family and friends. They just needed one clue, one lead, one very definite lead.

"You said he is in a box? I hope it isn't, uhm, small." asked Chin, glancing quickly towards Steve, before turning his eyes back on the road. Danny's claustrophobia was well known.

Steve could see something very dim in his mind. He closed his eyes and practiced some of the memory techniques taught in SEAL training. They were taught to notice small details quickly until it became second nature. Steve now went through life using these techniques every moment of every day. "Yeah. It's metal, but not like a shipping container. The walls are not corrugated. They are rusty, as if they have been exposed to the elements. It's not very big, either, maybe -and I'm just guessing- 8 wide by 10 long? That is a very iffy guess."

Chin turned in to the parking area of the Honolulu Medical Examiner Office, which was a white building with deep, covered porches on each of its two storeys. He parked in a space under one of the porches, because rain clouds were gathering overhead. It had been raining off and on since mid-morning, but this time the rain looked like it might last awhile.

"Let's make sure Kono and Abby hear this, before we go in to see Max," said Chin, and Steve agreed with a tight lipped nod.

Kono and Abby had pulled in behind Chin, and parked next to them. Soon the four were standing on the walkway, and Steve was repeating what he had told Chin.

Steve was asked a lot of questions, but there was behind all of them a sense of great relief, as well as a fierce determination to find their missing brother. Kono asked the question Steve had the most trouble with. "Boss, how did he … feel? His emotions … is he okay? If he's locked in a box … his claustrophobia …."

"He's fighting it, Kono. I can feel him struggling, but less than I would have expected. But I do know he is afraid of a darkness setting in, and it happens soon."

"Sunset isn't for six hours yet."

"I don't think it's sunset. It's sooner than that. I don't understand, but maybe the box has a light source or something." Steve shrugged. "The light was dim. If it is on some timer, maybe it only comes on part of the time."

"Darkness, locked in a box." Abby shuddered, and Chin put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm not claustrophobic, but I would be, locked in a dark box."

"He's afraid," said Steve, his face pained. "But he's fighting it."

Kono, then Chin, and then Abby all together put their hands on Steve's shoulders, as if they were physically using him to send Danny a message of encouragement and support. "We send you our strength and our love, Brother, and we will search until we find you." Kono said it the first time, and then they repeated it together, heads bowed and thinking of their missing friend. Steve thought of them hugging Danny, giving him their message, and his own.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny was awkwardly cleaning Angel's litter pan after her first use of it, scooping out a clay clump of pee and the cutest little poo, which he dropped down his latrine hole before taking care of his own needs. After the litter pan was once again covering the mesh lid, he had torn a baby wipe in fourths, and used one of the sections to clean his hands. The other three pieces were carefully folded up and closed under the lid, so they would stay moist.

Every moment brought him closer to the coming darkness. He was growing more and more anxious. He had a nightlight in the bathroom at home, and one in the hall, so he was never in full darkness. He took for granted that light was always glowing faintly somewhere.

But it would not be when the glow stick finally went dark. He did not wear a watch with a lighted dial -not that it would have mattered if he did, since everything had been taken from him but his boxers.

Angel had flopped onto the blanket, content, while Danny finally opened the first peanut butter jar and caught a small amount of the loathed stuff onto one of the wooden "spoons". It wasn't much of a dinner, but he had literally not eaten since lunch the day before. He took his time with the peanut butter, tempted to swallow it fast and not taste it much, but that would be like hurrying through filet mignon. Dinner was to be savored, even if it was a tiny bit of peanut butter.

The glow stick was now very dim, with possibly an hour left of light, so he stowed away his notebook, and gave his knee another round of palpating. It felt as it had before. So far, so good. Then he drank some more water before he joined Angel on the blanket, laid out flat, which his knee was not crazy about, so he turned onto his side and bent his legs a little while Angel curled herself against him, a tiny ball of fur snuggled right under his chin. He felt and heard her purring, and curled one hand around her, so she would feel secure.

That was when he felt the hug. He felt his Five-0 ohana sending him their encouragement and strength, their love, while Steve relayed the message to him.

They were looking for him. They would not stop until they found him.

He imagined hugging them all back, and resolved again to be brave during the darkness. He felt the love of his partner, his ohana, and his kitten. That would get him through the 'night', even if he was now shaking from the fright. He closed his eyes and snuggled Angel, and hoped the hours would pass quickly.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Steve and all of Five-0 were greeted with gravity by Dr. Max Bergman, the quirky Medical Examiner with an eclectic multitude of interests, from Keanu Reeves movies to anything Star Trek, and many passions in between.

"Comm, that is, Steve, I am relieved to see you feeling so much better than earlier this morning when you were found. I was quite worried," Max greeted Steve McGarrett, while he nodded to everyone else.

"Thanks, Max. I do feel much better, but I don't think I'll feel good until we find Danny, alive and well."

"That is perfectly understandable. Perhaps the information I have gathered will provide some clue to bring about just such an outcome."

With that, all gathered around the autopsy table, and the sheet-covered body. The smell was intense, and Max handed everyone masks to wear over their nose and mouth.

What followed was a brief look at the body as the sheet was removed. That was all anyone could take, because it was as if they were looking at their friend's body, burned and facially battered beyond recognition. There were so many superficial similarities that all but Max felt the need to retreat from the room after a few short minutes.

Once in Max's office, the Medical Examiner handed around a box of Kleenex as tears were shed openly and everyone found something to sit on. Even Steve was wiping away tears. "I never thought," he began to say, then had to stop and take some deep breaths. "If we were not sure Danny is alive, that would have been too much for me, and I've seen everything horrible there is to see."

"I am glad you are heartened by my news that this body is not that of our friend," said Max. His face was unsmiling, however, for he become fully focused on disseminating the information gained during the autopsy.

There was much information to prove that it was not Danny's body. The surgical incision was missing from the living donor liver donation, not to mention the presence of a whole, intact liver complete with gall bladder. Bullet wounds and knife wound scars were not found, and the body had never had an operation on a perfectly healthy right ACL knee tendon. Rib fractures were found in the wrong places, and there were visible differences in the skull and spinal X-rays.

"We were able to gather two partial teeth, and these are not a match for Danny's, either. Also, there is no appendix, and Danny never had his removed, according to medical records obtained by Dr. Isaac Cornett."

"We can only say we are very relieved. But, Max," asked Steve, "were you able to positively identify this as Neil Lane, or are we still looking for him?"

Max pulled out another file, and began flipping through it. "The identification is indeed positive for Neil Lane. The teeth fragments are an exact match; the lack of appendix is as well. Mr. Lane had a distinguishing mark in that the top joint of his left pinky finger was nothing but a stub, a birth defect, well documented. His wife was very willing to provide his medical and dental records."

Chin discreetly cleared his throat, while standing with his arm around Abby, who had her arm around Kono. Only Steve stood alone, but he was near his ohana. Chin asked, "Did you establish a time of death, and cause? I suppose the last part is obvious."

Max consulted his file again, and shook his head. "The cause of death is not at all what it would appear to be, Chin. In fact, I was surprised to discover that Mr. Lane was asphyxiated, with something very dusty and covered in ordinary dust mites. His lungs, trachea, nose and mouth were filled with debris, dust, and mites, but no smoke."

"Debris?" repeated Kono.

"Particles of asphalt, clay, blasted stone, sand, sawdust, and some broken down vegetative matter consistent with what one might find on a tarp used by roofers to cover roofs during repair, or shrubbery or furniture that would otherwise be damaged by material coming off roofs in process of repair or building."

Steve pursed his lips. "Mr. Lane was smothered by a roofer's tarp? He didn't die in the car fire?"

"Mr. Lane appears to have been indeed smothered by a roofer's tarp. He himself was a roofer, employed since the year 2010 by Ace Oahu Roofing Company. I asked Offi … Duke if he had Mr. Lane's employment history, to confirm my theory that something connected to roofing could be involved in his murder."

Steve held up his left hand. "Wa-wa-wait! Ace Oahu is one of the biggest roofing companies in the Islands! They did my roof after the storm just before Thanksgiving, which damaged roofs all over this island!"

Abby was already writing notes. "I'll check into them immediately after this. Client lists, workers, financials, everything I can dig up."

"If he was smothered, he died before the fire," stated Chin. "Any idea when he died?"

Max frowned. "The fire complicates answering that question, because it throws off all accurate internal organ temperatures. Right now, test seem to indicate sometime yesterday, between 4pm and 6pm. However, let me remind you of the watch which has the hands stopped at 5:33. That fits within the estimated TOD, although I cannot list that time as definite."

"Was his face bashed in at the time of death, or, uh, in the accident?" Steve asked, his brow deeply furrowed.

Max answered with certainty. "Evidence supports that his face was 'bashed in' as you accurately put it, after. My theory is that it was done when Mr. Lane was put in Danny's car. There was no bleeding from the facial wounds, judging by the amount drained from the actual autopsy. Had the blunt force trauma occurred while Mr. Lane was alive, there would have been copious bleeding, and the cause of death would have been head, specifically facial, trauma."

"Ew," whispered Kono.

Max continued, puzzled. "I found traces of fire accelerant on the back of the body, as well as his head, hands, and bare feet."

"His feet were bare? That's odd," stated Chin. "Could his shoes have just burned up in the fire?"

"They could have," answered Max, still wearing a puzzled look, mirrored by all members of Five-0. "But had his feet been in shoes, they would have been protected somewhat from the fire, and judging by their condition when he was found, they were unprotected when the fire began, and in a state that strongly indicates that accelerant had been poured on them. Forensics is checking to see if there is accelerant on the passenger seat, since the front of the body bears no sign of accelerant."

Steve was growing increasingly angry at their unknown killer by the moment. "This is one sick guy. Or gal. -Wait a sec. Was there evidence of accelerant on the driver's side of the car?"

Chin had been texting messages to Duke, and answered as soon as he finished their exchange. "Duke says Forensics has a preliminary report ready, as does accident recreation. We should go talk to them next."

Steve huffed out a frustrated breath. "Why kill Mr. Lane and kidnap Danny? Why try to kill me? None of this makes any sense."

"Yet," said Chin. "Things usually don't at first, but we will figure out this puzzle. We have a strong motive to solve this quickly."

"It couldn't be any stronger," said Steve, very clearly. "Max, anything else?"

"Yes, Steve. Rather, not yet. I have run toxicology tests on Mr. Lane to see if he had any drugs in his system. So far all the usual things are negative, except for a slight bit of caffeine, well within normal range for a coffee drinker. But any date rape drug residue will take a week to analyze, as I have to send all samples to be checked out to a lab on the Big Island. Because of the fire, any traces would take extremely sensitive tests to detect, and my lab does not have the ability to test for those under the circumstances."

"Let us know as soon as you know, Max. Thanks. I think everyone is going above and beyond on this case," said Steve, nodding to everyone, especially Max.

"I am praying you find him soon, and entirely healthy," said Max, his face very serious.

"Thanks, Max. He needs the prayers. We all are praying for him," replied Steve, reaching out with his left hand to pat the Medical Examiner on one shoulder.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny kept his eyes tightly shut, so the darkness he saw was entirely his own doing. The light from the glow stick had finally dimmed to nothing, and he had kept his eyes open for a time, hoping that some small bit of light would pierce the interior from outside. A pinprick hole in the metal, an ill fit to the door, anything, even from the air tube or latrine hole.

Nothing. No light entered the confines of the box, and Danny began to fear he had lost his sight. He kept one hand on Angel, and the other he clamped over his eyes, to make it _his_ darkness, not something made by someone else to frighten him.

It was terrifying him. Without Angel's warm, breathing, furry little body to keep him grounded, he thought he would have gone into full panic.

"Steve, I have never seen dark this dark. I feel blind. I am trying not to panic, trying so hard."

He forced his breathing to remain slow, and knew he would be more tired at the end of the darkness than he was now. He would not sleep at all, knowing the ability to see was entirely gone until those Christmas lights came on.

If they came on.

The air began to feel stale, and even though he knew it had to be a figment of panic, he picked up Angel, then felt for the notebook and pencil, his water bottle, and finally the blanket, and carefully moved to the part of the box he knew was under the air hole. He felt the stirring of air there, and curled on the blanket beneath it. His eyes remained shut tight, while his grip on the kitten was firm. She didn't seem to mind, and began to rub his face and remind him he was not alone. When he finally began to cry, she rubbed and licked away his tears, meowing softly in sympathy. And when Danny finally cried himself to sleep, she stayed with him, never leaving his side.


	13. Chapter 13 Emotional

**Chapter 13** "Emotional"

.

.

 **A/N:** (24 August 2016) Happy 40th Birthday Alex O'Laughlin, and an equally happy (and 1 day belated) Happy 40th Birthday to Scott Caan! I still find it incredibly amazing that two baby boys were born 2 hours apart, yet technically 1 day apart, and these two baby boys grew up to become the team we call McDanno! Some of the strangest coincidences happen like that, such as Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner being 1 day apart in age. Soooo bizarre! And so cool!

The last chapter got some great responses from quite a few people, so I guess the brainless phase is past on my part, and I thank you all for your thoughtful and encouraging reviews! I say this every time, but you really make me happy and humble all at once, because I know I'm not the best writer out there -not even close. False humility isn't a virtue, so I can say I know I'm a pretty good writer, but what I really have is the ability to plot. I swear that some people on this site are Limited Edition Swiss Army Knives when it comes to their writer skill set. There isn't anything they can't do! I am in awe! Those of us who are not LESAKs make the best of what we have to work with.

Thank you so much for reading, and those who review get a special thanks!

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

.

 **Chapter 13** "Emotional"

.

(Tuesday, 21 December, early afternoon)

As the members of the Five-0 Task Force came out of the Medical Examiner's Office and walked to their cars, protected from the steady, soft rain by the balcony under which they had each parked, Steve was frowning. He felt unwell, emotionally drained, fighting tears. It was not because of their briefing by the Medical Examiner.

Steve knew what caused his feelings. At the car, he tried to hold it in, but it was strong, and tore at his heart. He leaned against Chin's Mustang.

"What's wrong?" asked his colleagues and friends.

Steve turned away long enough to brush tears from his eyes. His voice was rough when he answered, even after clearing his throat. "It's Danny. The darkness has broken him. He's drowning in the blackness, the not knowing why this has happened. He can't understand it. He's trying, he's hoping for the light to return, but he is … broken. He's trying to hide it from me. I can't be there to help him." The last two sentences came out as if saying them physically hurt.

Kono wrapped her arms around Steve, and held him, until he turned around and literally cried for a few moments on her shoulder while her own lashes were wet. Chin and Abby embraced, and Chin reached out to grasp Steve's left shoulder in support.

Steve fought to control himself, and finally stepped back from Kono. "I'm sorry. It came on so strongly." Steve cleared his throat again, and wiped his eyes on his camo T-shirt sleeve.

"There's nothing to apologize for," said Kono, her voice sympathetic. "You and Danny always had this kind of connection. But never under these circumstances."

"We promised him we would find him, so let's find him. Let's work the case, and find th who did this."

"We need to inform Mrs. Lane," spoke Abby, quietly. There were times when she felt left out of the close connection the other 4 had, because she had not been there long, and her entry to Five-0 had been under difficult circumstances. It still amazed her that any of the task force members trusted her at all, considering that she had originally come to them to spy on them and find information that would lead to their disbanding in disgrace.

And then she had fallen in love with Chin Ho Kelly, despite her efforts to not allow her feelings to go there. The fact that he had fallen in love with her made their pairing inevitable, and soon Abby was questioning her original motives for being with the team, until she confessed and threw away her spying, and joined the team with a free and grateful heart. Chin Ho had forgiven her, Steve had accepted her explanation and apology and given her her badge. Kono and Abby had become close friends, especially in the last few months.

But Danny was still a bit of a mystery to her. They were friends, colleagues, and thought well of each other. But they had not had time to really form a bond of their own.

Steve ran his left hand through his hair, and cleared his throat again. "Yeah, we have to talk to Mrs. Lane. We have too many things to do at once. So, Abby, dig up everything there is to be found on Ace Oahu Roofing Company, especially anything that could tie Neil Lane to Danny. I don't care how slim the connection is, I want to know it. Roofers usually work in teams, so dig into that especially."

"On it, Boss."

"Chin, I want you to liaison with Duke and the forensics team, the accident re-creation people. I want to know everything there is to know about that accident, how it happened, and how I was thrown clear of the car before it went over that cliff."

"On it, Steve." He hesitated. "Should I bring in Eric, Danny's nephew? He doesn't know yet."

Steve looked angry at himself. "I forgot. He's back in Newark, spending Christmas with his parents and the whole extended family. If he decides to return to Honolulu, definitely let him be part of this investigation. I'll call him and Danny's parents. And Rachel and, God help me, Grace."

"Kono," continued Steve, in full command of himself now, "we are going to talk to Mrs. Lane, and then …." His phone rang. He looked at it, annoyed, until he saw who the caller was. "Dr. Cornett," he told them before taking the call. "Okay, be there after I inform a widow that she is one. Yeah, the body was not Danny's, and now we have a positive ID on who it was. Then I have to go talk to Danny's ex and his daughter. Will you still be at Tripler in maybe 2 hours or so? Okay, see you then," he said after a brief conversation with his doc. "My labs are back. So first Mrs. Lane, then …." Steve sighed. "Grace called me earlier and asked why Danny hadn't called her last night or today. I lied to her. I had hoped we might find him."

"Just be honest now, and give her as much hope as you can," suggested Chin. "Grace loves you, so she will forgive you."

Steve hoped so. She was very much her father's daughter, and being fifteen, she had perfected the teenage use of eyes to express feelings, plus had inherited the "simmer" gene from Danny. When she spoke in anger, she did not use as many words as her father, but she sure got her point across.

Kono had just checked her watch. "Boss, Grace just got out of school, so maybe we should tell Rachel we're coming by? Grace will be expecting Danny to call her, and when he doesn't, you don't want to have to lie to her again."

"Yeah. Okay. Everyone else, though, get busy. Chin and Abby, see you both back at the office."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Steve called Rachel. She picked up quickly, and British accent was tired-sounding. "Steve? I admit I am surprised you are calling."

"Oh?" he asked, since it was as good a stalling tactic as any.

"Yes. Usually it is Danny who calls. I hope nothing is wrong?"

"Actually, there is something I need to talk to you and Grace about. Could Kono and I come by?"

"Oh God. Is he dead? Are you going to tell me -?" She sounded terrified.

"No! No no no, Rachel, it isn't that," reassured Steve. "But there is something. Could we come by?"

"Should I have Stan here? He's taking a day after his trip, but I can call him in."

"Uh, that's entirely up to you. We can be there in fifteen minutes. Please don't tell Grace until we arrive?"

"Yes, alright," said Rachel, and her voice shook. "I think I will go fetch Stan. I feel quite terrified."

"We will explain everything in fifteen minutes."

Kono drove to a very nice neighborhood where many of the wealthy lived. The Edwards house had at one time been much bigger, with a gated driveway, but now was merely a luxury home that said "money" rather than shrieked it in pretentious solid gold calligraphy. The change had happened after Rachel had lost the case to try to win full custody of Grace so the family could move permanently out of Hawaii, to Nevada, where Danny would have been prevented from seeing his then-only child. Danny had petitioned the court to stop his ex-wife from taking his daughter out of state. He had already uprooted his entire life to be near Grace, and was not in a position to do so again.

Danny had won. For once, Danny had won. The judge had ruled that Rachel could not take Grace out of state. Danny's custody remained as it was.

Since Stan Edwards, Rachel's second husband, had been denied a promotion because he could not move his family to Nevada, and the judge had socked them with not only their own court fees but Danny's countersuit fees as well, they had decided to downsize by a third, and were now in a 4-bedroom house, rather than the six they had had before. Also, there was no gate and the garage only held three cars, not four. The housekeeper parked her car under a gravel carport beside the pristine, tile-imprinted cement driveway, dyed the color of red brick.

Kono pulled up onto the driveway, and said a silent prayer that this meeting went well. She had become an acquaintance of Rachel's, around the time of Steve receiving half Danny's liver, when Steve had been close to death after being shot while piloting a plane on an undercover assignment. Danny, not a pilot, had been forced to land the plane on Waikiki beach so the unconscious Steve would not be drowned if he brought the plane down in the water, as the air traffic controllers had strongly urged him to do.

Kono and Rachel had talked a few times after that, until things had petered out, although they were on good terms.

Steve, if pressed to admit it, had never liked Rachel, and never formed an opinion of Stan. He disliked Rachel because she had broken Danny's heart by never accepting his job as a cop, which he had been since before she met Danny. Their marriage had broken up in large part because Danny was a cop, through and through, and yet she refused to accept that part of him. Despite all the support groups she could have joined to help wives of police officers cope with the dangers their husbands faced, she had refused to become part of Danny's work life, instead repeatedly begging him to switch to a less dangerous job.

This had escalated after Grace was born, until the inevitable divorce. Still, Danny demanded he be able to remain close to his daughter. She was not going to grow up not knowing her father, not feeling his love for her.

Honestly, if Steve had been cornered into listing the appeal of Rachel's second husband, whom she married almost scandalously soon after divorcing Danny, it was that he was tall, handsome in that broad-shouldered Hollywood-good-looks way, and his job was very safe: he was as a contract negotiator for a worldwide real estate developer. He was very rich, and always had been. If life had been an aquarium of fish, Stan was striking to look at in a boring way, and equally boring in every other way. He never did or said anything interesting.

But he did take good care of Rachel, and Rachel's kids by Danny, so he must not be a jerk. Steve prepared to ignore Stan like he did every time he had ever been around him, not because he planned it, but because Stan was so ignorable.

Besides, Rachel and even more so Grace were who he and Kono were here to see.

They both had apparently been watching for their arrival, as Grace shot out the front door before Steve was fully out of the car. The cast on her left arm was bubblegum pink. "Uncle Steve! -Wow, you did break your arm! Does it hurt? Mom said you were here about Danno. Hi Kono!" She sounded like she didn't know whether to be worried, curious, or a teenage combination of something a lot more complicated.

"Hi, Gracie," said Kono, and began to walk toward the front steps leading to the nice, two-storey house with expert landscaping. Steve hugged the teen, and they followed Kono up the steps, while Steve said he would explain inside, so he could do it all at once, because they had a lot more stops to make. But since theirs was most important, they were making this one first.

Rachel, with Stan beside her, his arm wrapped around her protectively, stood at the Christmas-wreath decorated door. Inside the foyer was a designer Christmas tree, done in gold, white, and touches of red ornaments, lights, bows, and garlands. It was pretty in that uninteresting way.

"Where's Charlie?" asked Steve after he had greeted Rachel and Stan. Rachel looked nervous, and Stan looked bored but determined to be there for Rachel, since she was almost four months pregnant with his child.

"He's at the pre-school Christmas party," said Stan, glancing at his very expensive Rolex watch. "It ends in an hour. Will this take longer than that?" He was also showing vague curiosity about Steve's broken arm and bruises.

"No, no, it shouldn't."

"Stan, could you get us some tea? We'll be in the parlor," said Rachel, and Stan looked annoyed briefly before going bland again and wandering off with an underwhelmed reply of, "Sure, honey."

The parlor was apparently smaller than the living room, although still as spacious as half the first floor of Danny's whole house. It looked professionally done, with few knickknacks to show the actual personality of the people who lived in it. Steve was charmed when he saw one of Charlie's fire trucks under the settee Rachel sat primly on. He knew it was not supposed to be there, and he also recognized it as one that Danny had given his four-year-old son.

"I'm dying of nerves, Steve," admitted Rachel, once everyone had sat down. Grace sat by Steve on the opposite settee, with Kono on his other side, leaving Stan the space next to Rachel.

Steve explained the situation, leaving out details of the body being burned beyond recognition or anything to do with Neil Lane's identity, telling them only that a body fitting Danny's general description had been found in his car, but that the identification had already ruled out that it was him. "We know Danny is missing, and that someone tried to kill me and failed, but we do not have details yet on why, who, or how. We are working the case with every available personnel and you know we won't rest until we find Danny."

Stan had returned with a large silver, cloth covered tray bearing a plate of biscuit cookies, teaspoons, teacups and saucers, milk and sugar, and a teapot under a cozy, and a glass of milk for Grace. He set it down on the coffee table between the settees, and Steve had to clear his throat to get the incongruous picture out of his head of Stan putting a proper tea cozy over the teapot. At least Rachel poured. If Stan had, Steve thought he would have burst into giggles, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Rachel was clutching her teacup. "So you don't know if Danny is dead or alive," said Rachel, looking stricken.

"We know he is alive," said Steve, in his most reassuring voice.

"How?" asked Stan, sharply, which seemed to surprise even himself. "Sorry." He shrugged, and slipped into tea-sipping silence.

Steve explained that he and Danny had a "partner sense" of one another, and he just knew. He did not explain more.

"I knew this would happen, someday," said Rachel, and burst into tears. Stan almost dropped his teacup in his haste to soothe her.

"He's not dead," said Grace, firmly. "I would know it. Like Uncle Steve." She glared at Steve, though, and Steve felt uncomfortable.

"So what happens next?" asked Stan, to fill the silence that lengthened after Grace spoke.

"We find Danny," said Steve, and he finally took a sip of tea and ate a biscuit.

"But how?" asked Rachel, pulling herself together.

Kono spoke up for the first time. "We have some leads." This was not true, but it was said with confidence, to reassure, because soon they would have leads.

"Well, that's good," said Stan, refilling Rachel's teacup. He was entirely focused on her.

Rachel was still nervous. "These pregnancy hormones. Everything makes me emotional," she said. "I need to lie down, if you will excuse me? Please let me know when you find him? If there is anything we can do?"

Stan helped Rachel up and accompanied her up the stairs. But he was back very soon, and angry.

He stood in front of Steve, and his hands were balled into fists. "If this stress of Danny missing causes any harm to my child, or my wife, I will never forgive him."

"You can't blame Danny for this," exclaimed Kono, while Steve noticed again that Grace was glaring at him. She had risen and gone to a side table, and pulled out a black Sharpie pen from the one drawer.

"I can blame Danny for anything that causes harm to my family, if he is involved, and he is most definitely involved, and apparently you are too," Stan bit out, then turned on his heels and retreated back up the stairs.

Now Grace was standing in front of Steve. "You told me Danno was on a case."

"I know, honey," Steve confessed. "I thought we might have found him by now. I'm sorry I lied to you."

She held up the Sharpie. "So do you still want me to sign your cast?"

"Please!"

Grace bent over it, and carefully hid what she was writing until she had finished. Then she revealed one word, written very large:

LIAR

"Never lie to me again," she said in her best Danno imitation mini-rant voice. "And you better find my Daddy."

With that said, she hurried from the room and ran up the stairs.

Steve and Kono looked down at his cast, and sighed in unison.

.

.

 **A/N:** Don't worry, Danny isn't truly broken yet. He is a lot stronger than this! But he did break down when it got so dark. If the light comes back, he'll pull it together again!


	14. Chapter 14 Reactions

**Chapter 14** "Reactions"

.

 **A/N:** Wow, there were some really varied and fascinating reactions to 13! I'm so glad to read what people think, and why! It's truly helpful to me to see where people think this may be going, and of course I won't say if you are right or wrong. The story will tell in due time. I know we have barely scratched the surface. There are a lot of clues that have yet to be brought into the light.

Yes, there will be a twist. Eventually. Good call, Cubit2! Not necessarily the twist you mentioned, but would I leave out some kind of a twist? *Innocent smile*

And, **thank you** to everyone who reads and reviews! Likes and favorites always astonish me, and you are soooo kind to do that! I'll try to keep giving you good stuff to read and review!

I want to thank the guest reviewer who pointed out an initial mistake in this chapter. I had Eric listed as cousin, not nephew, and after the review I fixed it! It was a silly oversight on my part, but I would not have caught it unless that guest had pointed it out. So a special thank you to you!

Someone else I want to single out for thanks: stefrosacarnevale, who is one of those readers who always encourages writers all over this board for putting up chapters, and that is such a kindness! Writers need encouragement, and stefrosacarnevale gives it, and I think that's definitely praiseworthy.

Disclaimer: CBS still owns Hawaii Five-0, but they let us play with it. They make money, we don't. It's all good.

.

.

 **Chapter 14** "Reactions"

.

(Tuesday, 21 December, 4pm)

.

Steve and Kono let themselves out of Rachel and Stan's house, since Grace did not come back down after writing that very loud, accusatory word on Steve's cast. He had covered it with his sling, but just knowing his cast now said LIAR in bold Sharpie … stung. He began walking through the rain to Kono's car.

Kono, on the other hand, while sympathetic with Steve, was thinking about the way the whole conversation -if you could even call it that- had gone with the Edwards. "That was very different from how I thought it would go."

"Yeah," agreed Steve as they both took their seats in Kono's compact car. "Stan surprised me, and Grace _really_ surprised me."

Kono grinned. "She's her father's daughter. And she can spell."

Steve huffed. "Aren't you the ray of supportive sunshine." Which made Kono laugh, as she let the windshield wiper swipe slowly at the raindrop-covered windshield. Steve frowned in disappointment. "I thought Gracie would forgive me, and I thought they all would ask more questions."

"Mrs. Lane's house?" she asked, before backing down the driveway.

Steve nodded and looked back at the wreath-decorated front door of the house they had just left. "Yeah. Got the address?"

"Yup. Seriously, Boss, they probably will ask more, when this really sinks in. Rachel clearly is preparing herself to hear that Danny is dead, which I think is strange, but she _is_ on the pregnancy hormone roller coaster. Stan, on the other hand, is just a jerk."

Steve turned toward Kono, and now his voice was disgusted. "It's like he blames Danny for being kidnapped. The only things he seems to care about are _his_ kid and _his_ wife. Not a word of support to Grace! I don't even think he looked at her once, and we were only talking about her missing dad. No big deal there, huh? 'Jerk' is putting it mildly."

Kono was a good driver, keeping her eyes on the road and the surrounding area. "One thing Rachel told me when we used to talk sometimes, after you and Danny had the liver transplant: Stan has never forgiven her, she believes, for letting him believe for years that Charlie was his kid, when all along he was Danny's, and she knew it." Kono turned the wipers so they swiped the windshield every 3 seconds. The rain had let up just enough to warrant the action.

Steve was not surprised. "I don't think many men would have an easy time forgiving that. I know it's not fair, but women get blamed more for being unfaithful than men do. And Rachel would have kept that lie going, but Charlie got sick. She hid Danny's son from him for three years, and if Charlie had not become sick with something she needed Danny's bone marrow to cure, he still would not know. That's big." He shook his head. "And Danny still loves her."

Kono glanced, surprised, at Steve before fastening her gaze back on her driving. "He is? Did he tell you?"

Steve glanced down at that word written on his cast, so he could see it staring up at him. Grace had written it upside down and backwards, so he could even see half the letters if he looked at it in the sling. "Oddly enough, he told me last night, after Rachel left. I had to pull teeth to get him to open up, you know how he is. This was just before things went south and the drugs hit. He's been having problems with Rachel's pregnancy, because it changes so much for him. He had wanted them to get back together, because Rachel keeps telling him that she and Stan are having problems." He stopped looking at his cast. "But they sure seemed the solid couple today, didn't they?"

Kono's face bore a worried expression. "No wonder Danny is so emotionally raw. He has to live with an ex-wife nearby who probably tells him what she wants him to think, while the truth, I think anyway, is that she thinks only about herself. I know she loves Stan's money, but I never got the feeling from her that she actually loved him. I think maybe she does love Danny, but she can't have him anymore."

"I think that's a good thing, Kono," stated Steve, with quiet conviction. "She's no good for him."

Kono picked up on his undertone. "You don't like her."

"No, I don't," Steve answered. "And there are a lot of reasons. She never accepted the real Danny Williams, and she uses and abuses him emotionally. She divorced him, remarried quickly, moved so far away I bet she never thought he'd follow -which shows how little she really knew him, not to mention how she won't hesitate to hurt him- and then files to try to take his meager time away by trying to move Grace to Nevada." Steve made his disgusted face. "He needs someone else. What was the name of that nurse again, the one Gracie said Danny liked?"

"Dr. Cornett's daughter? Uh, Becca? The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner."

"That's the one. We need to vet her, see if she's good enough for Danno."

"Boss!" Kono swatted his left arm. "You playing matchmaker for Danny?"

"Ouch!" But he smiled, albeit with his lips tight and his eyes not getting the memo. "If it will keep him away from Rachel, and bring him some real happiness, you bet." His eyes got the memo, briefly. "First time for everything."

Kono and Steve exchanged smiles. "Hey, count me in. If we can fit vetting Becca Cornett into our busy schedule, I say we go for it. Danny needs some real happiness." She hesitated, before asking, "Any more partner vibes from Danny?"

Steve shook his head. "Not for a bit. I'm hoping that means he's sleeping."

Kono murmured, "Sweet dreams, Brah. We'll find you." She sighed, all smiles gone. "Boss, I want to run some checks on Rachel and Stan. Just to make sure. I don't have a feeling, exactly, but I'd like to rule them out as suspects, or …maybe get lucky, I guess. I mean, as a precaution. After all, Rachel was the last person you and Danny talked with before you got drugged."

"I sure don't object. I was even thinking it." Steve added, non sequitur, "I didn't even know Stan _could_ get angry. He's so bland."

"He sure doesn't have much of an emotional repertoire: Boring, and Not Quite Boring. Still, you never know. So let's see if Rachel really did pick Stan up at the airport last night. Passenger lists, some airport security footage should do it."

"Go for it." Suddenly Steve laughed. "I almost lost it when I saw that tea cozy."

Kono laughed too. "I about drew blood biting the inside of my lip when I saw that. Rachel has him well trained. I just can't see Danny using a tea cozy. Reason For Divorce: Refusal to properly use a tea cozy."

Steve smiled even wider. "I will buy dinner for the whole Task Force at Bob's Big Burgers if she ever had Danny trained to use the tea cozy."

"Dinner at BBB? Shoot, Boss, now I hope she did have him cozy trained!"

Steve's smile faded, slowly. "We'll ask him _when_ we find him."

Kono understood where his smile had gone. "I know. I just want him back, too."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

The Lane house was modest, neat, and homey, with personal mementos and photos, decorated with things that showed a love of family, and a love between husband and wife. The instant the pretty widow welcomed Steve and Kono into the house, Steve felt the job of telling her that her husband was deceased become a lead weight the size of Hawaii. He knew instinctively that Lisa Lane would be dignified, and devastated.

She was also hospitable, but in an entirely different way. Her hand shook as she poured them cups of coffee, offered them homemade chocolate chip cookies. "I bake to relieve stress, and because Neil loves my cookies. Except macaroons. He was never that fond of coconut, so I usually don't use it in baking." She suddenly looked lost. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Steve felt the lump in his throat. This was never easy. "Yes, Mrs. Lane. He was murdered. We are so sorry for your deep loss."

She nodded, sitting on what was obviously her side of the loveseat she had probably shared with her husband a thousand times. She was fingering her wedding and especially her engagement ring, which had a bright green stone. "It's so funny, because I just knew. I just knew, because we were like that. Sometimes we had whole conversations without saying a word."

Kono handed her a kleenex, which she took with thanks, and returned to her rings after she wiped her eyes. "When I knew he was going to ask me to marry him, I kept thinking, 'Don't spent a lot of money on some big diamond.' I'm not a diamond kind of woman, you know? So when he got down on one knee, and opened the box, and there was this peridot and two teensy diamonds, I knew beyond any doubt that he was my soulmate, because he knew. He knew. He got me the stone of joy, he called it bright, like my soul, and he would have got me a house made of it, but how practical would that be?" She laughed, a watery sound that almost made Kono cry. "And then he said the joy was our life together, and we were the diamonds getting to share it. He said I should have a diamond, even if it was tiny."

"He sounds like he was a wonderful man," Kono said, and Steve could tell Kono's throat was tight with emotion. Her own hand was fingering the simple wedding band Adam had given her the day they married.

"He was," replied Lisa. She tucked her chin-length blonde hair behind her ears, nervously, and asked, hesitantly, "Did … did he suffer?"

"It was quick," said Steve, eyes full of sympathy, but dogging it through this as best he could. Danny was the pro at this, even if it always cost him a lot emotionally. "He was asphyxiated late yesterday afternoon. It was quick." The rest of the details could come later. This was enough of a shock for now.

"Mrs. Lane," began Kono. "Do you have a friend or family member who can stay with you as you … so you won't be alone?"

Tears were streaming down her face, but she was still beautiful, in that girl-next-door way. "I can call my sister, Mia. We're close." She gazed through her tears from Kono to Steve. "Commander McGarrett? Would you please catch the person who hurt Neil?"

Steve reached across the divide between the chair he was sitting in, and the loveseat, and took her hand in his. "We sure will. You have my personal guarantee."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Back in the car, with the windshield wipers no longer needed, Steve and Kono were silent for several blocks, as they made their way now to Tripler. "That was hard," said Steve, and Kono nodded. She deftly pulled the car over into a car wash parking lot and stopped the engine, burst into tears, and Steve undid his seatbelt to lean across and bring her into a hug. Neither of them needed to say a thing.

Several minutes later, they were on the Moanalua Freeway, heading for Tripler. Oddly enough, they were duplicating the drive to Tripler Army Medical Center made the day Danny had crash landed the doomed plane on Waikiki beach, after Steve had been so gravely wounded.

Steve had called ahead, and Dr. Cornett was waiting for him. After that, he said to Kono, "Call Adam, okay? You were apart for a long while, and … you know."

"Yeah. I will. And I'll check in with Chin and Abby. When we are done at Tripler, maybe we could pick everyone up some dinner."

It was close to sunset, and the street lights were coming on, while after the storm had passed it was as if the sky was trying to make up for the gray day with a sunset worthy of everyone's dreams of color and beauty.

Steve said, "I wish Danny could see this."

Kono reached over and took Steve's left hand, briefly. "Let's watch it for him."

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

This time Steve met with Dr. Cornett in his office, which Steve had never seen before. Kono greeted him before excusing herself to make calls.

Even though Steve was tired, he looked around the office quickly, being drawn immediately to the family photo on the wall behind Dr. Cornett's desk. "Oh, are those your kids?"

Cornett smiled like a proud father. "Yes, and my beautiful wife, Noelle." He gestured for Steve to come around the desk so he could point out his wife and kids. Noelle was indeed beautiful, and obviously happy. She was short with stylish wavy white hair. David, the doctor, was easy to spot, because he had a strong resemblance to his father in both height, build, and coloring, although his hair was still brown with copper highlights from being in the sun. There were two adult daughters, one tall, the other short, with polar opposite coloring. The tall one was Hannah, and Steve noted her dark blonde hair, worn a lot like the style Kono adopted. "She's a kindergarten teacher at a private school in Honolulu."

Steve's eyes moved to the other woman. This had to be the one Danny liked, who liked him, according to Gracie. "This is Rebecca, and you might see her around the hospital here, as she's a…."

"Pediatric Nurse Practitioner," finished Steve, looking at her closely. She was nothing like the usual woman his partner dated. He went for blondes, usually tall and slender, more like Hannah. Becca was no taller than her mother, which Steve guessed was around 5'3", and had a build definitely on the athletic side, but feminine. Her hair was short, dark, and somewhere between wavy and curly. She had smiling brown eyes, and an infectious happy air about her. Steve liked her without even having met her. In his mind he tried to pair Danny and Becca, and decided they made a potentially perfect match.

"Did I already tell you Becca is a Nurse here?"

"No! Oh, sorry. Wait, you did. I think. I'm really tired." Steve moved away from the photo and took a seat in front of the desk. "Someone told me. She tended to Danny's daughter at Thanksgiving, when she broke her arm in a cheerleading accident."

"I remember! How is Grace?"

Steve inhaled, exhaled, and slipped his sling off. The accusatory word on his cast was easy to read. "Right now she is angry with me. I didn't want to tell her earlier today that Danny was missing, and when I had to, she pulled a one-word rant on me."

"Ah. Um." Dr. Cornett studied the lettering. "Sharpie? It looks like it soaked fairly far into the plaster."

"Yeah."

"Let's replace that cast. I can tell you about your labs while doing that."

Steve sighed and nodded. "Might be good. I can't go around with people reading that on my arm."

"Rest while I go get the stuff. Oh, hold on. Still having pain?" Dr. Cornett was taller than Steve by an inch and a half, so Steve looked up at him.

"Yeah. Headache, too. Long day. Not much sleep."

"Eaten anything?"

"No. Yes. A couple cookies, but after this, I get dinner."

"Make it substantial and healthy. Here." Cornett handed Steve a cup of water and a little paper cup of two identical pills. "Tylenol."

"Thanks." Steve took the pills, then reached for the cup and drank all of it. Then he sat back with his eyes closed until Cornett returned with the saw to cut through the plaster, and all the stuff to make a new cast.

"No, you can keep your eyes closed, as long as you don't actually fall asleep. And don't move your arm." Once the plaster was cut through in two places, so the cast slipped right off, Cornett began the lab explanation. "There are a whole host of so called date rape drugs, so I tested for all of them. I was mainly looking for traces of gamma hydroxybutyric acid or GBH as it is more commonly known, ketamine, and rohypnol. Those are the three easiest to obtain illegally. What we found were traces of rohypnol, which is what I most suspected we might find."

"Roofies," said Steve, and sounded mildly disgusted.

"Yes." Dr. Cornett was wrapping gauze around Steve's arm, while the plaster strips were soaking in water. "You presented the effects, so it's no surprise. The nice thing is that in a couple more hours, assuming you were drugged around 8pm last night, it will have no more effects at all on you, and the dose you were given did no harm to any of your organs."

"How did you arrive at 8pm administration time?" asked Steve, opening his eyes.

"I should qualify that by a margin of error of 15 to 20 minutes, by the amount of drug still in the test samples of blood and urine."

"It is probably safe to assume the same drug was given to Danny," murmured Steve.

"Very likely. But to be sure, we would need to sample Danny within 72 hours of ingestion, and the tests would be a lot more difficult and sensitive to get a reading after even this much time has passed. If you find Danny in that time frame, we will definitely test him. Any … leads?"

Steve smiled, as the wet plaster strips were being wrapped over the gauze. "You got attached. I don't blame you; Danny is that kind of guy."

"What can I say? He sent me a Christmas card, and my daughter knows his daughter."

"And he's that kind of guy, and you are that kind of doc. He actually needs that kind of doc. Not all would give a damn about the needs of a cop with deep anxieties and phobias, who can argue and out-stubborn and out-rant just about anyone and still not hesitate to give his dying partner half his liver and who turns to mush when his daughter breaks her arm cheerleading." Steve rubbed his eyes. "No leads yet, but we have some that could lead to leads. If that made sense. But we know he's alive."

"You do? That's a relief." Dr. Cornett smiled, genuinely relieved, and then snapped back into his usual caring mode. "Let the plaster set. You know the drill. It feels uncomfortably hot for twenty minutes, but you will not be burned. How do you know he's alive?"

"Partner intuition. Similar to twin intuition. I just know."

"Hannah and Becca are twins, and they have that. So it makes sense that you would have it with Danny."

"Doc?" Steve's worry was rising. "He's locked in a box."

"What? That's sick!" exclaimed Dr. Cornett, and his usually calm expression was now one of deep horror. "He's claustrophobic! Is he … can you tell how he's handling it?"

"He's fighting through. But then, uhm, it got dark, really dark. And then he lost it. And he …." Steve paused, because his partner sense was active again, and this time he felt such relief, such incredible relief. And he felt something else. His left hand rose to his chest, and he cupped his hand around something that wasn't there, and felt soft fur. "He's awake. The lights came back on. And … he's got something with him, like a plush ... toy. It's soft. And small. He's clutching it, and smiling, Doc." Steve was smiling the brightest, happiest smile a human being could smile.

And so was Dr. Cornett, all the way to his hazel version of Steve's eyes. "He has a sick captor, but let's hear it for lights and plush toys!"

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

Danny felt a soft paw pat his nose three times, and a purr was rumbling just below his chin. Angel was still there, and she was waking him up. His eyes began to open, then memory invaded, and he hesitated until he realized there was light beyond. He opened his eyes, and turned to face the Christmas lights, blazing as brightly as the small strand could.

Instantly he sat up, clutching Angel to him, while she purred and made sounds between "meow" and "mew". Danny held her up and showed her the lights, then clutched her to his chest again. "We made it through, Baby Girl. We made it through."


	15. Chapter 15 Details

**Chapter 15** "Details"

.

 **A/N:** (31 August 2016) I need to thank all readers and reviewers again! The encouragement and the various opinions and hopes for the story mean a lot, and help me know what is working and what is not. Thank you very deeply.

Two things. Dr. Cornett is not an OC. He was the doctor who treated Danny after Amber/Melissa's crazy ex stabbed Danny, and treated Steve after the plane crash, and performed Danny's part of the liver donation, and told the ohana afterwards that they were going to be okay. The actor is Peter Roberts, and I fell in love with his Dr. Cornett portrayal. He is so kind! I want him to be my doctor. (Although I actually have a very very good one.) But my fictional doc would have to be Cornett. His family is all OCs tho.

I told a new friend that writers get our kicks out of legal cheating as we write the story. That means we don't spill all the beans at once. We let the story weave, meander, spin and almost dance, if that doesn't sound too weird. Illegal cheating (stories get even with writers who do that kind) would be changing who did it because someone guessed. The story is the story, and I promise you I won't change who the villain(s?) are because someone guesses down the road, or may have already guessed.

I love hearing about your connection to Danny's kitten, Angel! I never knew that she would come to mean so much to readers! I am so glad you respond so well to her! Thank you, and I am quite sure Angel is purring at all of you! Dog people, I love dogs too! But a puppy in a box would have been problematic. Brucas, I think it was you who mentioned the smell…uhm, less with a kitten than a puppy. :-D

Note: There is some mention of Christianity in Christmas in this chapter, because it fits Danny's thoughts at this time. I'm not trying to convert anyone, just writing Danny as he seems to be, considering he crosses himself, sends his daughter to a Catholic school, and gave Kono a St. Michael the Archangel (patron of policemen) medal the day the newly formed task force celebrated her graduation from the Police Academy.

CBS still owns H5-0, and we don't. Dang. I mean yay! Season 7 starts in less than a month!

.

 **Chapter 15** "Details"

.

(Tuesday, 21 December, 6 pm-ish.)

.

.

Danny loved Christmas. He always had. It was the meaning of it, the memories he had of it from childhood, and later on those early years with Rachel and Grace, and now he had a whole new set of memories based on something he had not realized before moving to Hawaii: he had come to realize that Christmas was not a season that required snow to be on the ground, and Christmas trees did not have to be pines. It was not a place, unless it was a manger in Bethlehem. Snow was optional. Colored lights strung on palm trees worked. What mattered was the love people showed to one another, not the wow factor or number of gifts, or whether the stores did a booming business or not.

Religion was not a huge factor in Danny's life, but it mattered to him in more ways than he thought about most of the time. Christmas was one of the times he thought about his faith, from occasionally wondering if it was real, to knowing deep within him that it was real to him. It didn't matter if others blew it away and said it was a myth or "opiate for the masses". He didn't demand or even expect other people to understand his faith, or share it. It was his. Just as he could and did believe in miracles, he knew not everyone did.

And he didn't pooh pooh other faiths, or lack of belief. He only worried about himself, and his children. He raised them in the way he believed was right, and that meant Grace and Charlie knew what Christmas really meant. It wasn't the Holidays, it was the Holy Days. He said Happy Holidays to those he knew didn't have religious beliefs, but to those who did, or those he wasn't sure about, he was a Merry Christmas guy, all the way.

Danny had prayed the Christmas lights would come back on, because he needed them so badly. He needed The Light of the World to be his real light. The darkness had been too much for him, and there was something symbolic to him about that time spent in the most blinding darkness he had ever experienced. He needed Light. He needed his faith. He had prayed while he cried himself to sleep, and now, those lights were back, and he knew he had to come up with a way to cope should the time come when the lights did not come on. He thanked God quietly for the lights, and for the plan he had come up with as a means to cope.

He still had the glow sticks, but his day and time calculations depended on knowing how far into the night he was, and then how far into the day. He would have to memorize how times felt, so he would not fall hopelessly off track of his counting of the days, should he have to do that with just glow sticks. He would begin his preparations immediately. He would memorize the box and organize the things in it, so he could continue his plan of escaping, even if he had to do it in the darkness.

But for as long as the lights came on, he would go to sleep before the darkness came, because then he could meet it on his terms. He was not going to let it break him again. He could not allow that.

Angel was a tremendous help to him, as he prepared for the day. She had the cutest run, and even though her tail was way too short to catch, she had realized there was this short fluffy thing attached to her back end, and she kept trying to catch it. She was absolutely determined, and he had to be that way too. Angel was more than a companion: she was an inspiration to him. She found joy in her tail, and Danny's beard scruff, and the funny way all those colored lights cast soft shadows and turned her human funny hues.

Angel watched as Danny shook out the blanket, folded it so the clean side was on the inside and protected, and made a square nest for her, which he borrowed as he sat down after he had climbed out of the coveralls. He had a lot of sweaty work to do that day, and all the other days to come, until he was rescued, and the best way to spare him becoming a mess was to just wear his boxers. He folded the coveralls neatly, and put his notebook on top of them.

Then Danny had to admit to himself that he was nervous about his knee. It was definitely throbbing more. He felt the area of the wound, and it was more painful, but not in a way that increased his worry. He noted that the bandage did not bear the marks of infection. The gash was not seeping pus, and had stopped bleeding.

The last check was to remove the tie wrapping which held the bandage in place, and he lifted the part of the bandage that he could, since it was adhering to the wound. He studied the color of the skin, felt the temperature. It was neither feverish nor the red of infection. He re-wrapped the bandage and relaxed a little.

So far, so good. He looked heavenward, and said a heartfelt thank you. He prayed for his family, his ohana. He thought about hugging each of his children, and pictured them playing with Angel, and sent them his most heartfelt love. He thought of his Five-0 ohana, and sent them his love too, plus encouragement. He knew they were looking for him, and had no doubt they would find him eventually. He tried not to guess how long it would take. The stores of food and other things indicated it would be a long time, but he did not dwell on that. There were only three outcomes to this situation: they would find him before he escaped, he would find them after he escaped, or they would find him after he was dead.

That last outcome was definitely his least favorite. By far.

Angel padded over to Danny and sat down in front of him. She sniffed his feet, his legs, and seemed to understand that jumping onto the one with the wrapping was not a good idea, so she climbed onto the blanket and then into Danny's lap, while Danny watched her, crooning sweet words to her, and asking her what she was doing. Finally, she reached up and laid one paw on his long liver transplant scar, reached up and touched his chin, and meowed as if making a statement.

"I am not very good at speaking 'Kitten', so let me see if I understand you," Danny said. "You want something from me, and I bet I know what it is. Food! Am I right?"

Angel carefully climbed Danny's chest until he put a hand under her and hoisted her up, and she sat in his hand while she rubbed her soft whiskery cheek against his chin.

He was grinning as he responded to her actions. "I think that means 'yes', so let's get you some food! And more water. Yes, you bossy little thing, I will feed me too, and get more water. Mmmm, more peanut butter filet mignon for me! Let's assume you are getting the best tuna in the world." He rose to his feet, careful of his knee, not fully straightening it, so his gait across the box was definitely described by the word 'limping'. He carried his water bottle and notebook in one hand, and Angel in the other, putting her down when he reached the pantry.

When Danny reached for a packet of cat food, he learned that cats are impatient, and very vocal about what an eternity it takes a human with opposable thumbs to open the food pouch and put it on the little round paper plate. Her meows turned into bold cap italicized versions of long meows, and she got up onto her hind paws, the better to reach the plate of soft shapes that smelled soooooo gooooooood!

Danny kept thinking how his kids would both go crazy for Angel. So would his ohana, he was sure of it. Even Steve.

Danny was glad that he had food to feed the little beast he was entrapped with, because without that, he did not think he could have endured her suffering from hunger, and she could not have eaten his peanut butter. He thought he had read an article about cats being allergic to nuts, but maybe that was dogs. Or any animal but chipmunks and squirrels. He did not remember, but she showed no interest at all in the tiny bit of peanut butter he allowed himself.

When he activated the next glow stick, he would open up the crackers and have one or two. They were cheese flavored, so Angel might like a little bite of them. He decided he would always give Angel a treat from his cheesy crackers. But he had to have had two bottles of water by then.

He added a little more water to Angel's bowl, then filled his bottle, drank some to wash down his micro breakfast. He noted everything carefully in the notebook, and then turned toward the corner the chain on his ankle was tethered to. Time to get back to work. He felt distinctly hungry, but he would have to get used to that.

.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

.

.

It was going on 7:30 pm by the time Steve and Kono arrived back at the Five-0 offices. They had backtracked briefly to Kamekona's shrimp truck and filled him in on what had happened while he prepared their 4 orders to go. Their friend was entirely sympathetic, and showed it by giving them extra-large portions, asking to be kept informed as they searched for Danny. Steve thanked Kamekona and promised they would keep him in the loop. He was Danny's friend, too.

Kamekona, a big Hawaiian with a bald, fleshy head and kind but my-way-or-the-highway demeanor, promised he would keep his ear to the ground and let them know if he overhead any gossip that might help them. "Bad time for our Jersey Haole to go missing. This is his favorite time of the year. I feel for his kids." He had a lot of contacts, and not much got by him, so Steve and Kono were happy to know he was now listening to the coconut wireless.

Back at Five-0, everyone stopped what they were doing and dug into the food. They ate off trays set around the Smart Table in the center of the office. Steve was ravenously hungry, and the shrimp was fried to perfection, the rice about as good as it gets. He literally felt like he could eat two portions of everything, which was unusual for him. He put it down to not having had dinner the night before.

Chin and Abby each had news. Abby went first, since Chin had proven chivalry was not dead by saying, with a wink to his girlfriend, "Ladies first."

What she had dug up on Ace Oahu was that, financially, they seemed legit and law abiding. They did jobs all over Oahu mostly, but also had crews on Maui and Molokai, and a new office getting started on the Big Island. "They don't have a lot going on in Hilo yet, but they expect the business to grow."

As for the murdered Neil Lane, he had been with them for several years, had a good record with them, and usually worked with a partner, Jason Makaina. They had been partners for two years, and their families socialized. Their kids went to the same school, a public school roughly equidistant from their homes, and were friends.

"I talked with Jason, and he said Neil got a call yesterday around 4pm. They were just finishing a job, that's why he remembers the time. Neil said a former customer was asking if he would be willing to do some odd jobs that it would only take one person to do, and he was going to meet the guy after he dropped Jason back at work. Before you ask, he didn't say the guy's name or where they were meeting. I called Lisa, and she doesn't know either; Neil hadn't called her about it as she was leaving for work about then, and usually he would call her after she got to work. Except he didn't last night. Otherwise, everything seemed normal, so when Neil didn't show up at work today, he called Lisa and asked if he was okay, and she told him he was missing. Jason said he would cooperate in any way he could with the police. Incidentally, Neil's company van is also missing, and there were several roofer's tarps in the back of it. Jason admitted, too, that they got dirty and dusty, and most of the ones used outside didn't get shaken out very well, so they were just folded and stuck back in the van. Duke has added the van to the APBs already out."

"Jason Makaina has no police record," added Chin. "Seems a genuinely nice guy."

Abby agreed. "But now for the good stuff. I ran the company records on work they've done in the last three months, and cross-referenced it with just the jobs Neil worked on, with Jason or any other teams. The whole company pulled a lot of overtime after that tropical storm just before Thanksgiving. Get a load of the people the company worked for, and those that Neil's team worked on."

Apparently Neil's team and one other had worked several roofs in Rachel and Stan's neighborhood, including two of their immediate neighbors, and their own roof, and others within three blocks, people they knew from Grace's classmates.

"I talked to the Personnel Supervisor, and apparently Stan Edwards complained about Neil, and asked he not work their roof after the first day –or their neighbors' roofs. Stan did ask that it be entered into the record that he had no complaints about Neil's work. Still, Neil was upset about that, because it is more difficult to mess up the usual teams. They work faster and better with the guys they are most used to. Get this," continued Abby, taking a quick drink of hot tea to wash down some rice. "I had to persuade the Supervisor, Adam Clarke, to divulge what happened. Seems Stan Edwards did not want Neil working his property because Neil looked too much like 'someone he had a bad association with.' I'm guessing the resemblance to Danny bugged Stan, so he had the company bring in another roofer."

"Well, well, well," commented Steve, around another shrimp. "We keep running into Stan. How many days did Ace Oahu work on the Edwards roof?"

Abby consulted her notes. "Two and a half. That neighborhood was particularly hard hit by wind damage during that storm. Neil only worked the first half day, which was from roughly 2pm to close to 6pm."

Chin was not grinning when he said, "But that's not all."

"Go on," encouraged Steve. Kono had gotten up and was collecting the empty paper bowls, cartons, and chopsticks.

"Neil and Jason also did Lou Grover's roof, and yours, Steve. And a bunch of people who are classmates of Grace Williams."

"Lou? Our former colleague, Lou?" Steve was startled.

"The one and only," said Chin.

"I'll talk to him, see if he was there when the work was done. We will have to check all these people out though. Except me. I never saw my roofers, because my insurance covered it, and sent their guy out to check things. I'll ask him, though, and I guess I better talk to the neighbors too. See if they noticed anything." He hesitated before asking his next question. "Anyone know if Danny and Lou have patched things up at all since the … hospital stuff?"

Kono answered first. "He hasn't said anything about Lou since then. Steve, if he had anything to say about it, I would think he would have talked with you."

Steve frowned. "You know Danny. He knew Lou and I were friends, so he might not want to let me know if something else had happened. Especially since he knew I told Lou we couldn't hang out anymore, after what he did to Danny."

Chin added, "I heard his consulting business is not doing well. I guess word got out that Lou and Five-0 did not part ways amicably. If he just hadn't attacked Danny, he'd probably be doing fine. Even though we kept that quiet, you and Lou are on the outs too, and that says there is at least one big problem."

"Yeah," agreed Steve. "I'll ask him about the roofers." He sighed, feeling his stitches in his hair, gingerly, and feeling the dull ache in his broken arm. "There's no way we can keep this from the public, that Danny is missing, is there? The more questions we ask, the more it will leak out. I'll have to call the governor. Just, not tonight. I know he's attending some important Christmas Party, so that's on the agenda for tomorrow." He rubbed his eyes, and blew out a heavy breath. "I hate this. I hate that Danny is missing. I hate that Neil Lane died because he looks like Danny physically. I hate that our most likely persons of interest are people Danny knows, even maybe members of his family. Seriously, this is sick."

Kono spoke up. "Steve and I had already decided we needed to check the alibi of Rachel and Stan. If she really did pick him up at the airport last night, he's air tight, and so is she. Otherwise, they go right to the top of the suspect list."

Chin nodded, his face pensive. "Abby and I were going to ask about that. They need to be checked out. If they have alibis, they are not suspects. If they don't, well …." But he added quickly, "I'm calling Newark first thing tomorrow, to see if there are any releases we should know about. Usually police departments let people know of anyone they might want to keep an eye out for, but sometimes someone slips through the cracks."

"Good," said Steve, still feeling hungry. "Were there any leftovers?"

Abby shook her head no. "You ate everything not nailed down. I think you even ate my fortune cookie."

"I did? I'm sorry," Steve apologized. "I can't get rid of these hunger pangs. I think I could eat dinner all over again. Which is … odd." He suddenly had a bad feeling about where his hunger pangs were coming from.

Chin interrupted his musings, however. "I have some news on the accident recreation. They think they know how you got thrown without being seen." He started punching up diagrams from the accident scene, and throwing them up onto the big screen.

This diverted Steve's thoughts. Everyone was paying close attention.

"I'm all ears, Chin," said Steve.

Chin explained everything, using photos of the accident site, and charts and graphs made by the recreation team, which had worked with evidence from the scene and a lot of computer models to come up with something that equaled the facts of the scene, taking into account when it had rained, and when it had not rained that night. Using the extent of damage to Danny's Camaro, they had a good estimate of when the accident had happened.

"That puts the accident at, give or take about 10 minutes, around 9:45 pm last night. This takes into account how long it would take to drive from Danny's house to the site of the accident, and then how long it would have taken for his car, burning, to have been as reduced by the fire as it was, plus fire damage to Neil Lane's body. This takes into account as well the rain that night, which slowed the fire, but never put it out." Chin paused. "The guys who did this wasted no time. Once you and Danny were unconscious, they went to work fast."

Steve and Kono both asked in unison, "Guys plural?"

Chin nodded. "It would have taken two to push the car so the accident happened the way the recreation suggests, which is incidentally the only way they could get a model to work. Two men, both around 200 lbs in weight. No details on build, but strong enough to push a car from a specific point on the road. Maximum height of either man is 6'3", but the models work even better if they are around 6'1" or shorter. Any taller and you would have been seen being thrown from the car, Steve."

"Please explain how the accident happened. I still don't know why I'm still alive."

"We're just glad you are," Chin, Kono and Abby said together, their words genuine. "You got lucky," added Chin. "Whoever did this almost succeeded. If you had not been thrown, your added weight as the car went over … well, the models suggest a strong likelihood that the Camaro would have exploded on impact, and you would be a lot like Neil Lane now, and let's just be glad you were thrown."

Steve stared at his new cast in the old sling. He felt the stitches in his hair, and felt his aches and bruises. "I'm not sorry to have survived. I need to understand how, though, better. Why do the guys plural -I am not happy we have two people to look for now- have to both be around that height? Why not a tall guy and a short guy, or something?"

Chin explained. "It is all in the trajectory the Camaro took when it was pushed down the hill toward the spot where the road curved, and where the drop-off was down the cliff. The way the car was pushed had to be balanced, one guy on the driver's door, which had to be open, and the other behind the car. Any other configuration, even to the driver's door being closed, and the trajectory deviates from what it was. Plus, there had to be some luck involved. Your seat belt had to not catch completely, or you would not have been able to lurch against it with enough force for you to be thrown clear when the front tires hit that little lip before the car tipped downward to give it the momentum to go over the edge."

Kono asked, "How do we know Steve was belted in at all?"

Chin shrugged. "The models show him falling out if he wasn't belted in, but frankly, that could have been luck, too. Models aren't fool proof. But what they have recreated has a 97% accuracy rating, and nothing else hits above an 80."

Steve frowned. "Two guys. I don't like that."

He paused when his phone rang. "It's Duke." He answered the call, and had barely gotten out a "Hi, Duke," before his face convulsed in shock. " _What?_ " He hit speaker, so they all heard Duke's frantic voice. "Five minutes ago one of Danny's neighbors called in a fire at Danny's house. The first unit has already called in a second alarm. Steve, the whole house is burning!"


	16. Chapter 16 The Fire & Phone Calls

**Chapter 16** "The Fire  & Phone Calls"

.

 **A/N:** (2 September 2016) Reviewers are fabulous! I so deeply appreciate you taking the time to read and leave reviews. Even just reading amazes me! _**Thank you all!**_

I got a few requests to please update quickly, so I'm rushing!

And the research for this chapter led to some interesting discoveries: Police vehicles on Oahu use blue lights, while the other Hawaiian Islands use red lights, and the Honolulu police force is switching from the Ford Crown Victoria (no longer in production) to the Ford Taurus Police Interceptor. Probably because Steve causes so many to crash, just a guess….

Disclaimer: Five-0 is owned by CBS, bless their hearts!

.

.

 **Chapter 16** "The Fire  & Phone Calls"

.

(21 December 2016, 8:15 pm)

.

Steve's face had gone pale as ash, and he could barely ask his question of Duke, upon hearing the news that Danny's house was ablaze. "Is it arson?"

His phone was still on speaker, so Chin, Kono and Abby all heard Duke answer, "No definite on that, but that's what the fire crews think. The whole house went up at once, Steve. Unless it was a gas fire, it doesn't work that-"

"PULL BACK EVERYONE GET BACK-!" an unfamiliar voice blared with a loudspeaker. They thought they heard Duke running for several seconds, then a loud boom and a thud over Steve's phone. "Duke! Duke!" yelled Steve, the veins standing out on his neck. "Duke, answer me!"

Duke's voice was breathless. "It blew, Steve. Gas. The house is in little pieces, and three more fire companies are responding." In the background, voices were calling out that they were unhurt. "No injuries, just the usual. I tripped over the neighbor's garden hose. Good thing the neighboring homes had been evacuated; two are damaged, make that three. One sec…." Duke was back in not much more than that. "This will make the news. How do you want us to handle it?"

"Keep news crews at a distance, Duke, and stall. Chin and I will be right there. Send a couple units to my house and check it out, as a precaution. No lights or sirens." Steve ended the call and turned to Kono and Abby, who were wide eyed with worry. "Kono, nail down Rachel and Stan's alibis at the airport. Abby, check all footage of cameras near Danny's house. See if you notice anything or anyone that looks suspicious. Chin and I will go talk to Grace –backdoor check on Stan and Rachel's alibi tonight- and Lou after we see Danny's house."

Chin gave Abby a quick kiss, but their eyes had quite a conversation, while Steve gave Kono a pat on the shoulder. "Be careful, guys," Kono and Abby said together, to their ohana. And then they dove into their work, their faces etched with worry, determination, and anger.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

The drive was noisy with the siren spiraling out it's shriek that meant CLEAR THE WAY, and bright with the grill lights flashing blue. Chin's Mustang was a red-with-white-stripes bullet as it flew down the highway and streets until it pulled up a block and a half from what was left of Danny's house. Chin, when put to it, could drive just as insanely as Steve.

The two men had barely spoken, both lost in thoughts neither needed to say out loud. When they saw the debris of what had been a house they both knew well, reduced to unrecognizable rubble and crazy flames shooting upwards in a destructive dance that was not even remotely enticing, the smoke bright orange and yellow from the heat, even as the white water shot down on it at high velocity from ladder trucks, hoses at the top, they had to take a minute to pull themselves together. Lights flashed, the air smelled acrid and faintly of gas. Sirens screamed. It was a scene right out of hell, except for the water.

"Oh my God," said Steve and Chin in unison. Steve added, barely audible, "If Danny saw this … I don't know what he would do."

Chin just shook his head.

Duke came over to them, and they saw he was holding his right wrist. Steve pounced on that. "You okay, Duke? You need the medic?"

Duke scowled. "Maybe. Might've sprained my wrist when I tripped on the hose. It's okay, it can wait. Steve, they are turning off the gas to this area, but there's nothing to save now of Danny's house. I'm sorry."

"C'mon, let's get you to the medic." Steve and Chin walked with him. There were several Aid units present, because with this type of fire, there was always someone. Usually there were multiple injuries.

Duke was treated, and his wrist was only sprained. Luckily, it was not severe.

"Who hates Danny this much?" he asked Steve and Chin after his wrist was wrapped in Ace bandages. "Any leads?"

"Maybe," answered Steve. "Kono and Abby are checking out Stan and Rachel, just to be sure. And Chin and I are going to pay Lou Grover a call. We hope it's none of them. Accident recreation has us looking for two males, around 200 lbs each, no taller than 6'3", which isn't super helpful, but this case is just gnawing at me."

"I hope it's not a member of his family or a former colleague." Duke was fully aware of the way that Lou had left Five-0. "Come on, let's go talk to the Fire Chief."

"Yeah." Steve had very little else to say at this point, until his phone rang. "It's Grace," he said to Chin, and directed him to go with Duke. The two men walked away somberly, stepping over pieces of wood and glass that had used to be a modest house.

Steve took Grace's call. "Hi Sweetheart," he spoke gently. "You still mad at me?"

"Hi, Uncle Steve." Grace sounded like she had been crying. "I'm sorry I wrote that on your cast. That's why I called. I'm really sorry. Is there a way to get that off of it?"

Steve smiled, turning his back on the fire. "You had every right to be mad, because I lied to you. I'm sorry for that. I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore. And Dr. Cornett fixed my cast. Listen, honey, I have to ask you some things, is that okay?" Steve didn't want to use her to get information on her mom and step-father, but under the circumstances, he would be honest to a point with her.

"Uncle Steve, why is there so much noise there? Are you on a case? And sure, you can ask me anything, but I'm having trouble hearing you."

Steve walked over to a police unit, and crouched down behind it, to lessen the noise. "Is that better?"

"Yes. Are you mad at me, Uncle Steve?"

Steve would have rubbed his eyes, but his one good hand was holding the phone. "I'm upset right now, honey, but definitely not with you. You know how you want to be treated as an adult, not as a kid? Well, I think you need to be treated as an adult, too, so that's how I'm going to do things from now on. Listen, Gracie, I'm at your dad's house. It caught on fire, and I need you to be real strong, and not panic. Okay? Someone blew up his house, honey. The news will carry the story any minute now, if it's not already breaking news. Are you okay, honey?"

"I think I should sit down. I am in the kitchen, getting milk." Steve heard the scrape of a stool by the breakfast island. "I am trying really hard not to cry."

Steve felt tears tracking down his face. Grace was being so brave. "Gracie, it's okay to cry. I'm kindof crying too. But I need to ask you some questions. They are going to seem strange, but I just need you to answer them."

"Okay. Is Daddy's house all gone?"

"Yes, sweetie. It's all gone." Steve heard what sounded like tissues being pulled from a box. "You tell me when I should ask the questions, okay? You can cry if you need to. It's okay."

"I want Danno back." Grace's voice was so vulnerable, so sad. There was a pause and Steve heard his partner's daughter blowing her nose. "Okay. Ask."

"Okay. Did anyone leave your house after Kono and I were there earlier?"

"The housekeeper went to get Charlie from the Christmas Party. I didn't hear any other car leave."

"So Stan didn't go anywhere? I mean Step-Stan."

"Stan is fine. He keeps trying to get me to drop the Step part. I've been hanging on to it. Kindof to bug him." She remembered the question. "He and mom have been arguing a lot since you and Auntie Kono left, but I don't think he went anywhere."

"Oh, so you are not getting along that well with Step-Stan?" If it was good enough for Gracie to call him that, it worked for him too.

"Not since mom got pregnant again. It's like Charlie and I have become invisible. He only thinks of the new baby."

Steve was surprised, and not surprised. "I'm very sorry, Gracie. He should never ignore you or your brother."

"It's okay, Uncle Steve. I've been trying to ignore him for years. He doesn't like Danno. If he doesn't like Danno, he might as well not like me either. I try to protect Charlie from realizing he doesn't like our daddy. Mom is oblivious."

The things Steve hadn't known! "Does Danno know how you feel about Step-Stan?"

"No. He would want me to be respectful, and I am! But we have a sortof rule that we leave Step-Stan out of our minds when we get to spend time together. He doesn't know that, when mom first said she was pregnant, Step-Stan thought she and Daddy had, uhm, uh, you know, like it was with Charlie? They had some arguments about that. I am not supposed to know, since they both ignore me, and I keep quiet so they don't know I can tell when they are arguing. They only do that in their room. I'm supposed to think everything between them is just fine, but it's not."

"He thought the new baby was Danny's?" Steve was shocked, and his voice showed it.

"Yeah. Daddy and I talked after Mom told the truth about who Charlie's dad is, and he told me he and Mom made a mistake, and it wasn't a good thing he did, and that Step-Stan had every reason to dislike him. But he could never be sorry about Charlie, and he told me it took him awhile to get over being mad at Mom for lying to him about Charlie. It was the first time he really treated me like I wasn't a kid."

The things Steve realized he didn't know about his partner. He was immensely proud of him, and that started his eyes leaking tears again, which he wiped away with his shirt after putting the phone down for a second. "I'm glad you told me, sweetheart. I'm glad he's treating you more like an adult. He wants you to stay small and innocent, but he is proud of how you are growing up." This, Steve knew for fact.

"He's the best Daddy, ever."

"He is. Okay, I have some more questions, or I'm gonna bawl right here, and then all the people will see it."

"Hold your breath, and then ask me the questions. You have an Image To Maintain." Steve could hear her capitalizing those words.

"Yes, I do." He cleared his throat, and dove in head first. "Okay, last night. Were you still awake when they got back from the airport?"

"Yeah. I had to hide, though. I wasn't supposed to still be up, but I had a paper to finish, and it took ages. I was getting milk, like I am now. Or was. I've gone back to my room."

Steve asked Grace a number of questions, and the answers she gave were that Stan and Rachel had come in around 12:30 am. Stan was wearing his favorite leather jacket, which was black and expensive, and had a distinctive leather piping to the front placket. His luggage was two bags, a large and a carry on that matched, in a deep blue with black corner patches and handles. Rachel was wearing what she'd been wearing when visiting Danny and Steve earlier, and since Steve hadn't prompted her about it, he could tell Rachel hadn't changed.

"Why were they so late? I thought Stan's plane was due at 8:30."

"Mom was complaining at how long she had had to wait for him. His plane was delayed till close to 11, then they got dinner at some all-night café. They usually do that if his plane is late." She paused. "Do you think they hurt Daddy?" Her voice had a sharp edge to it, like she was working toward outright anger.

Steve was very quick to tell her that they were making sure everyone had an alibi, and that meant even checking out Step-Stan. "He doesn't like Danno, either. But could I ask you not to let them know that we talked, uhm, or at least not the questions part?"

"I promise I won't let them know. Uncle Steve, thanks for treating me like an adult. I need to help if I can, to get Daddy back. I really need to feel like I'm helping. He … he's hurting, I can feel it, in his heart. Like, like he doesn't understand this, and he desperately wants out, wants to be back with us, but he can't yet, and he's trying so hard to not panic, and he's very worried that he doesn't have a lot of time left." Grace was crying again. "I just know it, Uncle Steve, please don't tell me I'm making this up. He has a kitten with him. He calls her Angel. I can see him, but the picture isn't right, but it's him."

Steve was beyond startled, and then wondered why he felt that way. He was getting images of Danny, feelings, so why wouldn't his daughter? The kitten part was a shock, but maybe that was the plush toy he had felt earlier. A kitten named Angel? "I feel things too, sweetheart. I know he's in a bad way, and trying to get out. But what do you mean, the picture isn't right?"

Grace burst into tears, but hushed herself. "I'm glad you feel things too! He needs us so bad! The picture isn't right, because he doesn't have his hair anymore, Uncle Steve. Someone took it away. Daddy is refusing to even touch his head. But there is a mirror. I saw it when he looked in the mirror."

Steve had to cover his shock, and his fury. He believed Grace. "Honey, I have to ask you one more thing. Are you feeling hungry a lot?"

"Yes!" was the surprised reply. "I settled on milk tonight because Mom keeps track if I sneak a snack. But I bought some candy bars at school today, and she doesn't know about those. I've had 4 already today."

"But you're not feeling thirsty?"

"No. Just starving. I must be getting ready to grow again."

Steve hoped to keep her thinking just that, because what he thought was going on was something he hoped Grace never realized. "I bet you are! You'll be taller than Danno!"

Gracie laughed, the first laugh of the whole call. "He won't like that."

Steve grinned too, so his voice would. "He will have to deal with it, won't he? Listen, Gracie, I promise to ask you more questions, but it's late enough now that you should get to sleep. Don't watch the news, and don't fret about what the TV says. I will tell you the truth, as soon as I know it. You tell me anything else you get a feeling about, because I think Danno is communicating with you, like he is with me. What do you think of Angel?"

"Oh, Uncle Steve, she is so cute! She loves Daddy! He plans to keep her! She chases her tail! I _adore_ her! Oh, gotta go, Mom's prowling. Bye, Uncle Steve!"

The phone went dead, and Steve leaned against the patrol car, feeling desperately hungry, angry, and so glad Danny had a kitten named Angel. And furious that whoever had locked him in the box had cut off his hair first. He was going to do serious damage to whoever did that, and destroyed Danny's house.

He called Kono. "Anything?"

She sounded unhappy. "I've got tons of pictures of both Rachel and Stan at the airport, with luggage, and dammit, I'm glad they have alibis because Danny would be crushed if it was them, but I wanted it to be them so we could use the thumbscrews and find Danny!"

Steve told her what Grace had said they were wearing, and she confirmed it. "Right times, right outfits, it's really easy to recognize Rachel's face, and the guy is Stan. His name is on the flight manifest, and he went through security, and it all checks out. How is Grace? Did she take the news of the house, uh, how did that go? Is the house a total loss?"

"Burning splinters and rubble. And Gracie just wants Danno back. I don't think the loss of the house has hit her yet."

"Abby is still checking camera footage, I'll help her on that now. I guess we have to broaden the net. You and Chin still going to talk to Lou?"

"Yeah." Steve sighed. "I don't think it's him, but we have to be thorough. Listen, pull up any footage near Danny's house for yesterday night, too. And the area where the accident took place. And I want every photo they took of inside Danny's house. I wanted to see if anything was out of place from what I remember. Photos are all we have now."

"On it, Boss."

Steve sat there, staring at his phone, before he called Lou. It was late, but still, this couldn't wait.

Lou answered after four rings. His voice was not friendly. "Well, well, well, if it isn't McGarrett. Been awhile. So come on over, and we'll talk about what I'm seeing on the news right now. You want to know if I burned down Danny's house, right?"


	17. Chapter 17 Friends Or Foe?

**Chapter 17** "Friend Or Foe?"

.

 **A/N:** (8 September 2016) If every new chapter is a gift to the readers, every review is a gift to the writer. You keep us going, like feeding a log to the fireplace when the flame might be getting low. I want to thank every reader, and every reviewer. You have been very very generous to me, and I do my best in return for you. Bless and thank you all. You keep me going.

The last chapter generated a lot of emotion! It was supposed to, but the comments were so loving and kind. Thank you for your thoughts and feelings about how this is moving along. I love the variety of theories of whodunit, especially Nurse Ratchet's possible 6'3" boyfriend :-D I seriously wish I had thought of that one! That would be better than the actual villain! You get my Brilliant Thinking award!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and are kind enough to let us play with their characters.

.

 **Chapter 17** "Friend Or Foe?"

.

(21 December 2016, Tuesday, 10 pm)

.

"Lou, you know the drill," said Steve, hurt but not entirely surprised by Lou Grover's icy tone on the phone. The former member of Five-0 had not taken it well when Steve had ended their friendship because Lou persisted in showing and saying how much he disliked Danny. "Come to the Five-0 offices in an hour. We'll talk there. You need directions?" he asked, sarcastically.

Lou snorted. "Stow it, McGarrett. Either I am a suspect, or I'm not. Which is it?"

"You tell me," snapped Steve, because he would have liked to remain friends with Lou, had the big man made it possible. He regretted showing his anger instantly, until Lou spoke again.

"Listen, Commander Super _**Ex**_ **-** SEAL, I aint comin' over to listen to the runt whining and cry-babying about his fried house, which is probably a busted gas pipe or something, and I aint sitting in no blue room chair, wearing bracelets because you need to pin this on someone, and Danny-boy don't like me. If you think I did something, send a patrol car for me. Otherwise, I'll come by tomorrow first thing, with my lawyer."

"Lou," said Steve. His voice was not angry. Steve let out his sadness. "Danny doesn't know about his house. He was kidnapped yesterday, and I was nearly killed, too. Another good man was killed."

There was a pause, during which Chin, Duke, and the Fire Chief joined him behind the patrol car. Finally, Lou replied, no longer angry, but deeply regretful. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't know. I'll be there in an hour. I'm sorry about Danny. I really am." He sounded it, too.

It helped Steve, a little. "See you then." He pocketed his phone and looked tired and grim. "Nice to meet you, Sir," he said to the Fire Chief, whose badge listed that his name was Goodwin. He was taller than Steve, dark skinned, with brown eyes and medium, kempt brows, and lashes a woman would envy. He was new to Steve.

"Dave Goodwin, meet Steve McGarrett," introduced Chin. "Preliminary report on the cause of the fire has been established."

"So soon? I guess that's good," said Steve.

Dave Goodwin's voice was deep and pleasant, with a slight African American accent mixed with something else Steve could not quite place. "It's astonishing, but there's ample evidence. The gas was turned on low, but the house was burning before the gas ignited. Someone set multiple hot spots, and waited for the fires to reach the highest concentration of gas, at which time it blew."

Steve was tired of all the bad news. They already knew someone had a real hatred of Danny, but this just seemed to be beyond hatred. "Swell," murmured Steve. "Any idea of how the hot spots were created?"

"Come with me," said the Chief. They walked to where a charred, water-soaked mattress was leaning incongruously against the hedge of the house across the street. "See that little wad of burnt cloth on top of the mattress?"

"Uh, yeah." Steve leaned over and touched it, then smelled his fingers. He sighed. "Linseed oil oxidizing on a cotton rag. Flash point 250 degrees Fahrenheit; takes roughly two hours at room temperature to go from safe to smoking hot, another hour to hour and a half to reach spontaneous combustion exothermic reaction. I take it these rags were found in multiple locations?"

"We are finding these all over the remains of the house. Every bed, every couch, every chair, in closets with the doors open to fuel the oxidation of the linseed oil. We found windows left open to make sure the rags had plenty of air to aid in the drying/oxidizing process. -This house never had a chance. This was arson on steroids. The only way it could have been worse was a few people all using flamethrowers. Whoever did this was unconcerned that we would figure out what caused the fire; the arsonist just wanted the house destroyed completely."

"Okay." Steve sighed heavily, and looked back at the fire, which was coming under control, now that the gas had been shut off. "As soon as you have the report ready, I'd appreciate seeing it. But we have something to work on now. Thanks, Chief Goodwin. I appreciate what you and your men are doing."

"Yup. Hope you find your friend. Admired Williams for what he did landing the plane on the beach, and giving you his liver. Takes a good man to do that."

"Did you meet him?" asked Steve, feeling a surge of friendliness and gratitude. "Were you on the beach when he brought in the Cesna?"

"I was, but we never actually met. I hope we do someday." Dave Goodwin smiled and nodded to them all, and returned to his command post.

"Well, we have something to go on now," said Chin.

"Dave is a good man, he's honest. He'll do a good job on this fire. You can trust him," said Duke.

"Good to know," stated Steve, and he was more relieved than he sounded. He was tired, starving again, and not looking forward to talking to Lou. "Kono has confirmed Stan and Rachel's alibi for the time of Danny's kidnapping, and Grace is pretty sure Stan didn't leave the house after Kono and I were there this afternoon. That's not a hundred percent alibi, but it's going to be hard to break. Lou will be at Five-0 in 45 minutes, so we better roll. Duke, the units check my house?"

"Yes. Officers Pua Kai and Tom Bernard. Pua may be a rookie now, but he's gonna make Sergeant one day. He went back to make sure there were no linseed rags just waiting to ignite. Your house is tight. Pua and Tom will alternate twelve hour shifts outside your house till this is over. We're giving your house a bodyguard till we catch these guys."

"Thanks, Duke. I still hate this," Steve stated flatly, yet his eyes flashed briefly. "I can't imagine Danny ever doing anything in his whole life to deserve this level of hatred."

"Has to be a nutjob," replied Duke. "Nutjobs don't have to have real reasons. They just gotta hold a grudge." The Sergeant was being hailed from across the street by one of his men. "Gotta go. Steve, Chin: find Danny."

"We will, Duke. Take care of that sprain," called Steve as Duke walked away. He and Chin walked back to the red Mustang, and Steve filled Chin in on the way to the car. Half a block from the wreck of Danny's house, Steve stopped when he saw a glint of silver on a chain, tangled around some splintered wood that used to be a familiar coffee table. He bent down and picked up a medal. "Danny's St. Michael medal. He kept it in his pocket during work hours, and put it on the nightstand at night. When we were talking to Rachel last night, it fell out of his pocket and I remember he put it on the coffee table." Steve wiped soot off of it and hung it around his own neck. "I'll return it to him when we find him."

Afterwards, Steve was quiet in the car, until he suddenly let out a choked cry and covered his eyes and clutched at the medal.

"Steve?" Chin instantly asked, deeply concerned. Steve was sobbing. It was not something he did often. He was a "cry-in-private" type of man.

Steve's voice was husky with grief. "Is this all he has left? They took his car, tried to kill his partner, destroyed his house, and everything he owns in it. They took the baby pictures of his kids, and their crayon drawings, and his favorite tie Grace gave him, and photo albums from New Jersey, his damn dress shirts, his whole life. They've hurt his kids by taking him, knowing that hurts worse than being kidnapped! They locked him in a box! They took his hair, Chin, and he's starving! He's starving," Steve repeated, his voice rough. "I don't know how long we have to find him. I swear to God, I'm gonna lock them up so long they will lose just as much as they've made him lose. And if Danny dies, I'm gonna kill them, whoever they are."

Chin didn't ask any questions, even though he had heard things that shocked him to his core, and deeper. Danny was starving? They cut his hair? He swallowed. His voice hardened. "I'll help you," he said, and he meant it.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny was actually making visible headway in his efforts to wear down the end of the chain link keeping his ankle held to the corner of the box. It was not much headway, but it was starting to show. He felt he could do an estimate of how long it would take to get all the way through it, and while it scared him badly to know a whole week would be spent just on this, it was a week he would gladly spend to get loose from the tether. His ankle was starting to chafe from the chain wrapped around it, and his knee did not like anything about how he had to keep it bent more than it should be, but that tether had to go.

Angel suddenly stopped playing with her paper ball, which had been flying this way and that all over the box, and came at Warp 9 kitten run over to Danny, where she crawled into his lap and let out a scratchy whine, then head butted his chin and burrowed into his chest while purring as loud as a set of teensy, whirling helicopter blades.

At the same moment, Danny felt a terrific blow to his heart, and he could swear he heard, or felt, a boom; he wasn't sure which. His nerves flared with anxiety, and he was glad he was sitting, because he felt dizzy enough that he would have tipped over without the floor to steady him. He put the notebook down and held Angel protectively with both hands, as if shielding her from something other than the multi-colored Christmas lights, which for just a second there he thought he had seen flash and ignite. But he blinked and they were just being normal Christmas lights.

It passed quickly, the dizziness, and he felt no new physical pain, but something had definitely happened. Instinctively, he began to pray, for his kids, his ohana, everyone he knew, the world, even himself. "St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits who wander through the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." He had learned that prayer as a boy and said it when he thought someone was in danger, or when he felt anxious.

He repeated the prayer several times, and wished he had his St. Michael medal, but the prayer would have to do.

He wondered what had happened, and hoped no one had just been hurt. He prayed especially for Gracie, and Charlie, and Steve, Chin, Kono, Abby, and all his extended ohana in Honolulu, then added his parents, sisters, and cousins in Newark and wherever they were. He prayed for police officers, firemen and women, those who worked in health care. He finally just said, "God, protect everyone."

Angel stayed with him for half an hour, estimated time, and then she wriggled until she was able to jump over to the folded coverall beside the blanket, where she took up a Sphinx pose and continued to stay near. Danny swore she was guarding him.

He returned to working on the chain, but kept reciting that prayer as well as others.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

There were news crews from the four main network affiliates, and a couple local ones, and some newspaper reporters waiting outside the Iolani Palace, which housed the Five-0 offices. Luckily, by the time they reached there, Steve was well under control again, at least visibly. He had explained that Grace must never suspect her hunger and his were feelings they were picking up from Danny. Steve had also asked Chin to drive him to Tripler whenever he was able to get hold of Dr. Cornett so he could be tested to make sure the hunger wasn't something going wrong with him. Chin had readily agreed.

He and Chin were pounced by reporters with microphones and camera crews as soon as they walked toward the doors. Steve signaled Chin to go ahead and make sure the building was clear of reporters, and to call Lou and have him use the back entrance. "Warn Abby and Kono. We're telling the press nothing but the vaguest info."

"Right." Chin sprinted into the building, securing the lock behind him.

Steve stopped for the briefest time as he continued to walk toward the building's front entrance, fielding questions as he went. There were plenty of phones and microphones recording video and audio.

"Commander McGarrett, the home of Detective Daniel Williams was burned to the ground. Do you have any motive or suspects?"

"It is too early to say, but the investigation is well under way."

"Is the detective uninjured. He was not seen at his home."

"There were no injuries at the fire, just property destruction, which was extensive."

"Is it true that Detective Williams was killed in the blast? He has not been seen."

"CBS already asked that. I repeat, Detective Williams was not killed or injured in the blast."

"Is it true that the drug cartel that tried to murder you and forced Detective Williams to land a plane on Waikiki Beach is behind a plan to destroy the Five-0 Task Force?"

Steve kept walking. They had already dismantled that cartel, but it was worth checking it again. "We have no comment at this time."

"Is there anything the people of Honolulu can do to help Detective Williams rebuild what he has lost in this fire? He saved your life, and it seems such a tragic turn that his home was destroyed, so close to Christmas."

Steve stopped and turned, looking at the young male reporter, who had asked something thoughtful instead of something just good for a sound bite. "Thank you for the question. I'm not sure how to answer it, except to ask for your prayers for Danny Williams." He hesitated, and then dove in. It was only a matter of time before the press realized Danny was missing.

"I do have a statement, and a request." Steve waited until the reporters had quieted and were giving him their full attention. "Last night, Detective Williams was kidnapped from his home, and we believe the fire was an attempt to destroy evidence of that crime. My partner remains missing, and we would ask the public's help in coming forth with anything anyone may have seen regarding this. We believe Detective Williams is alive and being held against his will. If you saw or see or hear anything pertaining to his kidnapping, the destruction of his home, or his current whereabouts, please contact Five-0 immediately. We will release more information when it is warranted. Thank you."

That set off a cacophony of questions, so he nodded into the cameras and turned and ran for the building. Chin was waiting, and swung open the door as he reached it.

Once inside, he told Chin that the news that Danny was missing would go out far and wide. They would have to be prepared to receive tips from the public. "Maybe that is just what we need."

The two men went up the Koa (Warrior) stairs, down the hall to the Five-0 offices, and locked the door behind them once inside. Steve told Kono and Abby that the public would now know Danny was missing, and Lou would be there in less than twenty minutes. He asked Kono to pull up the footage of Stan and Rachel at the airport. He studied the films quietly. "Damn. Even the Rolex watch," he muttered irritably, pointing to the watch they had seen that afternoon. "I admit, I hoped it was Stan, but I guess that would be too easy. Nothing strange in the Edwards financials? Could he have hired someone?"

"He has the money to do that, but we have nothing to prove that he did," replied Kono. "Everything so far looks clean, but give me a few more days and I'll find something if there is anything to find. I assume we don't want to alert the Edwards that we are poking into their finances."

"I'd rather neither of them knew. Keep checking. On Lou, too, but make sure the smart table and the big board are clear when he comes by. I don't want him to see anything we are working on." Steve was distracted by his feelings of hunger, so he called behind him as he headed for the door that he was going to get something from the vending machine downstairs.

As he hurried down, he got a surprise call from Dr. Cornett. "Hey, Doc, this may sound strange, but I was just about to call you. Are you still at Tripler?"

"No, I'm actually home, just saw the Special Report. I don't know if I have a lead for you, but something odd did happen just as I got called away when I was going to get your release papers this morning."

"Oh?"

The doctor explained that a patient had been brought in on a medevac flight. A homeless man in bad shape, head injuries and broken bones. He had been found by hikers, who insisted the man kept saying a name, over and over.

"What name, Doc?"

"Danny, and Dan. He had no ID, so we thought he was telling us his name. Except one of the other doctors recognized him from a drug overdose last year. He name isn't Danny. It's Mo Miller."

"What had happened to him?"

"The medic team and rescuers thought he looked like he'd fallen out of -maybe been pushed out of a helicopter or low flying airplane. He was in the middle of nowhere, Steve. The hikers went off the trail to answer nature's call, and found him totally by chance. They called it in. In another two hours, it would have been too late."

"How does a homeless man get pushed or fall out of a chopper or plane?" asked Steve, writing in his waterproof flip-top pocket notebook. The notebook was settled on top of his cast, while he wrote painstakingly with his left hand.

"I wondered, but his injuries had my full attention, and I didn't follow up. But when I saw the news report, I thought of that right away."

"Can I talk to the guy?" asked Steve, feeling hopeful.

Cornett's answer squashed his hopes. "He's extremely critical, Steve. We had to induce a coma. Severe concussion with bleeding on the brain, possible brain damage. Three surgeries today. We're not even sure yet that he will survive his head and other injuries. If he does come through this, he may not regain consciousness for some time. If he does regain consciousness, he may have brain damage, or memory loss, or both."

"Okay. Well, it's unusual, and the timing is right, and we have no idea where Danny is being held. I'll need the names of the hikers, and the rescue team. I want to search the area where he was found." Steve wasn't sure it was a lead or not, but it was worth figuring out how the man had ended up where he had.

Cornett asked Steve why he was going to call him. "Need me back at Tripler?"

Steve lowered his voice, and stowed his notebook. "Doc, I have been starving since Danny's been taken. Not thirsty, but hungry non-stop. I asked Grace, and she has been, too. Doc, I think Danny is being starved. –I didn't let on to Grace."

Cornett didn't hesitate. "I'll head back to Tripler. Come to my office in about an hour, or whenever you can. Let me take blood and the usual samples, and make sure you are okay, and if you check out fine, you may be right. I'm going to do some research."

Steve was incredibly relieved. "Thanks, Doc. Thanks. I've got someone to interview soon, so it might be a little later than an hour. I'll let you know when I'm on my way. I appreciate this. Wait. Should I avoid eating, or can I have a snack before I come in?"

"Uh. No snack. Then we can run another set of tests after you eat, and that will really tell us something. When did you last have a meal?"

When had it been? "8 o'clock? Kamekona's shrimp and rice. And tea. A fortune cookie? Maybe 2 fortune cookies?"

"Nothing since?"

"No. I want five Big Bob's burgers."

Cornett apologized. "Nothing but water until we run those labs. If you feel dizzy, have someone drive you in immediately. I'll be at Tripler in 20 minutes."

Steve put away his phone, then returned to the office. "Chin, could you let Lou in when he gets here?" He went to the water cooler in the office, and filled a clear plastic cup full. And then stared at the 5-gallon water drum atop the cooler. He had no idea why. When he heard Kono whispering to Abby to shut down the table, and Chin took off down the stairs, he quickly drank the cup of water and turned away from the cooler.

Chin brought Lou up a minute later. The big man looked around the office quickly, the one he had been so familiar with until May, when he had resigned over Danny continuing to remain Steve's partner.

It had been the strangest situation. Steve had just received the living donor liver donation from Danny, effectively saving his life, and things had come out during the early days of his recovery. One of those things had been that Lou was poisoning Kono's mind against Danny, and belittling Danny in front of Steve (and behind Steve's back) in the hope of driving a wedge between Steve and his partner.

Luckily, Kono had come to realize what was happening, after a talk with Danny, and Danny was the forgiving sort when push came to shove, and a genuine mistake had been made.

But Lou had retired to start his own consulting firm rather than continue to have to be denied the partnership even he admitted he was not fit to accept. It didn't help that Danny was only 5'5", and Lou Grover was a comparatively towering 6'4", and that both men had strong personalities. Lou had gotten a bad drug combination when he took too many Sudafed and several cups of coffee, and attacked Danny in his hospital bed.

Still, had Lou apologized and realized how silly was his unwarranted competition with Danny, things could have worked out differently. But Steve had ended the friendship after speaking with Lou about it, and Lou made it clear he could not accept Danny under any circumstances.

It was an awkward meeting. Lou nodded and said hi to his former colleagues, and they were pleasant in return.

Lou shook hands with Steve, then compassionately said, "I'm real sorry. I know your partner's death is hard to take."

Everyone corrected him. "He's not dead, I didn't mean to make you think that. He's still alive. Kidnapped, held somewhere. But alive," corrected Steve.

"Oh, oh. I thought..." Lou paused, and nodded. "So you really do want to know if I was involved." He puffed out his cheeks with a heavy sigh, and looked around the room again. "Listen, in the interests of transparency, I don't know if Danny told you or not that he and I had words again at Thanksgiving. A couple days after, actually."

Nobody let on that this was the first they had heard about it. Nobody let on that they were not even sure if Lou was telling them something true, or a carefully concocted story. Lou had fallen a long distance in their esteem for him. "Spill it, Lou," said Steve.

"I went to his house and asked him if we could work it out, come to some kind of working friendship. I had an ulterior motive. I wanted him to put in a good word for me with you, Steve, and Five-0, so I could get more clients for my consulting firm. It's not doing well, and we all know it's because of the bad way Danny and I clashed, and Steve stopped being my friend."

"So are you saying you tried to use him to get back into our good graces?" Steve asked, his voice giving nothing away.

Lou made a face and nodded. "I meant it, but I mostly wanted the favor. Danny turned me down flat, because he called me 'duplicitous' and a couple other things I didn't take too well. I punched him in the mouth, and left. I know I cut his lip, at least on the inside of his mouth."

Steve and his colleagues remembered Danny's swollen lip, that he'd said he had a couple stitches. He had said at the time that a shard of turkey bone had cut him.

Steve was going to have a long talk with Danny when they found him. He had hidden a lot from him.

"Yeah, we knew about his cut lip," said Chin, not saying anything about Lou. "So where were you last night? Do you have an alibi from 5pm to 10 pm?" Chin asked.

Kono added, "And tonight between 4 and 7?"

Lou rubbed a big hand along his bald head. "That's the thing. Last night Renee and I spent the whole evening and night, alone, in a friend's cozy cabin on the North Shore, celebrating our wedding anniversary. This morning, we cleaned up after ourselves, came home, and this afternoon I was in the back room of my office, taking a nap to make up for sleep lost last night."

"No witnesses?" asked Steve.

"Not a one."

"Did you kidnap Danny, Lou?"

"No."

"Did Ace Oahu fix your roof the same day you punched Danny in the mouth?" Steve's voice was very quiet.

"Yes, but not that day. It was the day after that Ace got to my roof. What does that have to do with anything? Besides, I never saw the roofers."

"Who did?"

"Renee. Look, do I need to get a lawyer? I came here in good faith."

"And that's a good thing," said Steve.

"Not if I was tricked into coming here without a lawyer," grumbled Lou. "I thought you meant Danny was dead. I didn't know you were gonna try to pin this on me. I'm being honest, McGarrett."

"I sure hope you are, Lou," said Steve. He held the dark brown eyed gaze for several seconds, and it was Lou who walked away. "Callin' my lawyer."

"Lou," yelled Steve. "We need to talk to Renee. Don't get in the way, man. You know how that will look."

Lou turned around faster anyone would expect such a big man to be able to. "I wish that Jersey runt had died on the operating table, after he gave you his liver, Steve. It would have saved a lot of trouble."

Three guns were instantly pointed at Lou. Steve told Chin to cuff Lou, and put him in the blue room. Steve personally searched the man and took his revolver. "Kono, go with Chin. Lou Grover, you are under arrest as a person of interest in the kidnapping of Danny Williams, and the arson of his house. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, if this goes that far. I don't understand why you hate him so much!"

"What's to like?" muttered Lou.

"Get him out of here," said Steve, disappointed.


	18. Chapter 18 Torture

**Chapter 18** "Torture"

.

 **A/N:** (12 September 2016 late pm) (I date these notes so I can remember when the chapters were written, because hopefully they will still be here in a year or whenever.)

Once again, thank you to all readers, reviewers (bless you!), those who follow and/or favorite! Each shocks me, but in a very beautiful surprising way! Thank you, all! I love the comments. Every review is a special gift. I am grateful.

This chapter is all Danny and Angel.

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0. No infringement intended.

.

 **Chapter 18** "Torture"

.

(22 December 2016, Wednesday, 12 am)

Danny kept working on the link, sawing it back and forth across the edge of the thick metal plate to which his ankle tether was bolted. But his body was tired, his arms felt like lead, his hands cramped, his back ached. The gash on his knee had split open in one spot, and had bled some before settling down. He had checked it again, and there was still no sign of infection. That did not mean it did not hurt. But now, everything hurt. Getting out of the box was going to mean his body would have to work non-stop until he either succeeded in creating a hole in the door wall of the box, or he was rescued.

He glanced at the pantry, at the box of crackers, the smaller box of raisins, and felt his stomach beg him for food. Hunger was a gnawing pain he felt constantly, in his mind, and in his body. He had been good about drinking water. He took breaks when the link got too hot to work with. He kept track of everything by writing it down in his notebook, which also served as a fan.

But Danny had to take another break from sawing. The link was almost burning his fingers, it was so hot. The heat was slowly increasing the temperature in the box. He was glad he was just in his light blue colored boxers, because otherwise his coverall would have been a sweaty mess. Laundry was not possible. He reflected that there were many things he had taken for granted in his life, food and clean clothes and showers being three of those things.

What he wouldn't give for a shower and fresh clothes, and even one of Steve's horrible protein shakes. No, he mentally switched the shake to an energy bar. Those had merit. The protein shakes were a lot like his peanut butter, albeit right now a whole lot more filling. They tasted awful. Like the peanut butter. But he had to be grateful for the peanut butter, because while eating it was torture, not eating it would be a whole lot worse. He felt so empty. So gnawingly empty. He could eat five Big Bob's burgers, the ones so thick they had to be squished before he could open his mouth wide enough to take a bite, and you were in trouble if you did not have a pile of napkins nearby.

It had only been a day since he had awakened in the box. One day, and it felt like a week. He hadn't gotten to call Gracie or Charlie the night before. It felt like a month ago already. Were his kids okay?

Especially Grace had to realize her Danno was missing. Steve must have told her by now. He had no idea if she thought he was still alive, or somehow believed him dead. Whoever had taken him and locked him in this wretched box … they had taken his clothes and put him in the coverall. Had those clothes been used to construct a reason to believe he was dead?

It was possible! Toss them in the water so the currents would wash them up on some beach, and even forensic evidence would not be able to tell if they had been dumped or … put there purposefully.

Danny's face grew pale when a thought that had not occurred to him grew in his worried mind: What if his kidnapper had tried to make it look like he had taken his life? There were so many ways that could be done. But with no body, nothing could be proven. And he was right here, not dead, so there could be no body.

Right?

Danny's memory flashed back to that roofer he had seen on the Edwards' roof, that one afternoon he had dropped off Grace after school, just before Thanksgiving, just two days before Grace had broken her arm. From the back, except for the pony tail under the baseball cap, he could have sworn he had been looking at himself. When the man had turned, he had seen the face, and that dispelled the "twins" Twilight Zone moment. But Grace had even commented that the guy on the roof looked like him for a second there. She had thought it was cool that her dad had a look-alike, teased him he should grow a ponytail. And now Danny glanced at the coverall Angel was curled up on. There was no company patch on the chest pocket or short sleeves. He wondered if he would discover that there had been? It was one of those detective's intuitions he sometimes got.

He tried to force his mind to stop theorizing. His kids would not believe he was dead, and they knew he would never attempt suicide. He wouldn't take off his clothes and fall out of a boat in a swarm of sharks. He wouldn't do that, not to himself, not to them. Not to Steve, or his whole Five-0 ohana, to Eric, to his parents and siblings and other nieces and nephews. They would know he would never do that. He had too much to live for. He had too many people to live for.

But what if they didn't know? What if Steve believed he was gone? He had effectively disappeared. What if the kidnapper had made it look like he wanted to disappear? To not be found, to take up life somewhere else?

Did they think he had amnesia and was wandering around somewhere, not knowing who he was? Unlikely, but not something he could absolutely discount as untrue. He was a detective. He had seen stranger things.

He reached up out of habit to run his hands through his hair, then pulled them back to his lap as soon as he felt his lack of hair. The only way to deal with it was to pretend his hair was still there, and avoid that mirror. Why take his _hair_? It was such a weird thing to do!

Hair. He would never have cut it, and what sicko would have done such a thing? His hair was something that could be used to make him look dead. Maybe. Or perhaps it was to be used so that it looked like he'd been hurt? Planted with the clothes, on a beach?

No blood, though.

Unless there was!

Danny suddenly checked his body, for anything resembling a puncture mark, from a needle. If someone had taken blood from him, to use ….

He immediately felt one on his neck. Jugular vein, a scab. He went over to the "mirror" and got as good a look at it as he could. Yes, there was a puncture. In fact, there were half a dozen punctures in the same place, like a tiny one-fanged vampire had sucked out some of _him_ several times. He found more punctures in the crooks of his elbows, where he had given blood at blood drives for so long he could not even remember, and where doctors usually took samples if blood had to be tested. He never bruised, so he had never noticed until he looked. There were punctures on his right thigh, several marks close together. They were marks of a thin needle, but that did not mean the syringe barrel had been small. Some of those suckers were pretty big! He'd been in the hospital enough times to know. He tried to get a look at the ankle surrounded by the chafing chain, because it had hurt, and there was a vein. He could not see it clearly, but his pinky finger tip could feel several tiny marks left from something.

The one anomalous wound was a thin, very shallow cut on the back of his neck. He used the cat food packet from the day before, with the silver lining, to see it. It was the only scratch he found. It would not have contributed to any blood loss. But he didn't remember cutting himself there.

Weird.

His kidnapper hadn't had a medical set-up, then, and had had to resort to lots of syringes full of blood. Maybe big syringes. How many big syringes did it take to make a pint? He chided himself. The kidnapper had taken enough to try to make Danny look dead.

Blood. Blood and hair and clothes. Wallet gone, badge gone, the green swirly marble Charlie had given him, gone. Phone, gone. His St. Michael medal, gone. Gun, gone. Even the crazy socks he loved, which Grace had given him, gone.

If done very carefully, it was enough to circumstantially make him look dead.

But Steve was smart. Max Bergman, the Medical Examiner, was smart. Neither would want to believe anything but a body. Would not _want_ to believe … but what if they did believe? If the sicko had been very smart, he could use blood and hair and clothes to make Danny look dead. Murdered. Killed. Especially if there was enough blood. Jugular vein … that would give the kidnapper a lot of blood very fast. But added to all the other places he'd been siphoned like vampire chow, it had taken time. He could not begin to estimate how long.

Danny swore. He had no clue what the guy had done, no clue how much blood had been taken. He did wonder how much blood he was missing. He had donated blood before, so a pint could be taken without him feeling woozy. He didn't feel woozy. He was tired, and aching, and had ….

WAIT screamed his mind. He had been drugged! His blood would have had to be taken after he was drugged. If his blood was used to make him look dead, Max would test it. The drug would be found. Max would find it. And if he was knocked out by some potent drug, he couldn't commit suicide.

That was a relief.

His blood could have been mixed with something to make him look like he'd overdosed. Steve knew he had been drugged, because Steve had been drugged. So he would not be blamed if there was some overdose in his blood. He would be thought of as a murder victim.

"The note says they think I'm dead." Murdered sure qualified as dead. Even if he wasn't dead, if they had evidence enough to make it look like he was, circumstantial enough it be ….

Danny suddenly yelled with all his lungpower: "I'M ALIVE! I'M HERE IN THIS BOX! I'M NOT DEAD! **I AM NOT DEAD**!" Angel literally leaped into his arms and started purring like a kitten facing into a microphone, and he absently patted her, but kept thinking. He was shaking. He felt weak. He was glad he was sitting down. He just wished he could let his kids, his family, his ohana know _know_ _**know**_ he was not dead!

But if his kids, his ohana, his partner, his friends, his family believed he was ….

It was torture, not knowing what they were going through. Nobody knew what he was going through.

Right now, everything was torture.

And Danny had to force himself to somehow ignore it. He had one goal: to escape the box. Then everyone would know he was not dead. He was beginning to accept that rescue might not happen. If nobody was looking for a living Danny, then rescue might not happen. And that was not good.

But he still had 28 days of food. That was long enough, he hoped, to get him out of the box. His plan to use the tether chain to scrape through the door wall, once his ankle tether had been sawn through, was sound. He hoped. He desperately hoped. He had 28 days of food for him, the same for Angel, enough water for both of them to go beyond that.

He had plans to make weapons to use once he was out of the box, in case he needed to find food before he could find a town where he could contact help. It was easy to find water in Hawaii. Water held fish. He had plans to spear fish. He had plans to build a carrier for Angel, so he would not lose her. The first 5-gallon water bottle that went empty would become her carrier. He would keep her safe. Once out of the box, he would find food and water and help, in that order if need be. He was okay. He had the peanut butter, the crackers, and the raisins. He was good for 28 days. And it took anything from days to weeks to really starve after that, as long as he had water, so even if it took longer to get out of the box, he would be okay. He might be in bad shape, but he'd make it.

But Angel only had 28 days of food left. He had to get them out of there in that time. She was too small to go hungry.

He settled Angel on her side of the folded blanket and carefully wrote in the notebook, in a shaking handwriting still very legible, that he had found puncture wounds on his neck, arms, and thigh and ankle, and he believed blood had been taken.

As soon as Danny put down the notebook, Angel crawled into his lap and they had a little petting session and conversation. Angel would sometimes start it with a little meow that ended in a question mark. This was one of those times. "I did notice that the Christmas lights are starting to go dim. Don't you fret, Angel baby. I have the glow stick right here by the notebook."

Angel made a little chirpy sound, then yawned so wide, Danny thought he could see her insides all the way to her tail! "Do you need a nice nap? I admit, that sounds real good to me. I'm not used to how abruptly we had to switch times. And if I did lose a lot of blood, then I would be tired, right? Usually I am tucked into bed, or wishing I was by now, instead of seven hours into a very long day that began at sunset."

Angel started up her purr again, and smiled, and yawned again, which immediately brought a yawn out of Danny. "Gracie and Charlie must be asleep by now. I wonder what they did today that they enjoyed? I hope they did something fun. I hope they are not worrying about me. I don't want them to worry about me. I always ask them what they enjoyed in their day." His emotional voice caught, and he cleared his throat while he petted the little white kitten with the dilute peach and tan markings. Angel mewed, and Danny cleared his throat again. "Yes, I do miss them. Every second of every minute of the day. I hope they have happy dreams tonight. I have to hope that."

Angel reached over and patted his water bottle. "Yes, I should have some," Danny agreed, and took a couple long squirts from the bottle.

Danny was struggling again, with his nerves, his anxieties, and fighting a feeling of emptiness that had never left him since the strange incident with what had felt like feeling or hearing a boom. He was pretty sure it was in his mind, but Angel had felt it too, so something had happened. He had felt incredibly empty since then. He wished he knew what had happened, but there was no way to know. He had been careful to sniff the air afterwards, but it just smelled of salt wind, humidity, and freshness.

"Angel, the link needs more work; it's cooled enough. I spent too much time thinking. Should I work more on the link, or have a couple crackers? Maybe a raisin or three?" He felt so intensely empty, but it wasn't just for food. He felt as if he had nothing, and was trying to make it into something.

No, he felt that he had _lost_ everything. He felt the way the note he was trying not to think about wanted him to feel. Despondent.

He refused to feel despondent.

Angel had climbed down from his lap and walked over to the pantry. She sat down below where the box of crackers was placed on top of a 5-gallon bottle of water. Danny limped over, after stretching out his muscles and feeling no relief whatsoever. "Okay, you get a snack too. I promised you a little bit of cracker. I am sure glad to have these to break the monotony of just the peanut butter, and so you can have a treat."

Carefully, Danny once again checked the expiration date, and then opened the box. He looked inside, and his nerves skyrocketed even as he felt oddly betrayed. He could tell at a glance that every cracker was thick with mold.

They were spoiled.

Suddenly fearful, his heart pounding, he tore open the box of raisins.

They were rotten, moldy, mildew-covered. Completely inedible. He grabbed up the other jar of peanut butter.

There was a tiny pin hole in the jar. He unscrewed the lid and sniffed it, carefully, then pulled his face away and felt horrified. It was rancid. But, worse, he could see pricks on the surface, like pointy toothpicks had been jabbed into it.

He dared not eat that jar of peanut butter. He opened the one he had started on, and it looked and smelled fine. Only luck had made him start on that one first. Now, knowing his food had been spoiled and/or tainted, he could not trust the cupcake in the Ziploc baggie.

Danny slumped to the floor. He knew that his next weeks were going to be torture, real torture, and that if his plan to get out of the box did not work, he would eventually die of starvation. He had 28 days left of food packets for Angel. He would not let her suffer if he did not get them out. Beyond that, he did not go in his thoughts, only that he would not allow that sweet kitten to suffer what he knew now that he would have to.

Twenty-eight days felt smaller than the box.

"Who hates me this much?" he asked Angel, who was trying to comfort him with pats and purrs. Quiet tears ran down his cheeks, and Angel just kept licking them away.

He petted Angel with the longest strokes he could on such a little kitten. She stared into his eyes, which continued to drip moisture, until he shook himself, literally. "No. No, I will not give in." He picked up Angel and stared at her, with absolute determination. "If I have 28 days before it gets even worse, so be it. We have water. I'm still alive, and that means there's work to be done. We're going to get out of here. It may be on the 28th day, but it doesn't matter. We are going to get out." He held Angel against his face, and let her little furry warmth seep into his cheek, her purr fill his ears. "I promise I will not let you starve," he whispered. "Let's get back to work, as soon as I throw out the bad food. You get the raisin box to play with."

It did not take long to send the contents of the plastic bags down the latrine hole. The plastic bags followed, since he did not want to mold to contaminate the air inside the box. He dumped out the cupcake, but kept the baggie. It might come in handy, holding all the empty cat food packets. The jar of peanut butter just fit, and to Danny's surprise he heard it break open a short few seconds after he had dropped it. The plastic had broken. He estimated it had fallen perhaps ten or twelve feet before hitting a hard surface.

Then he ripped off one large side of the raisin box, and made another toy for Angel to play with. He brought it over and put it on top of his coveralls, folded on part of the blanket. Angel immediately turned it into The Perfect Kitten Bed. Through half-open eyes of happiness, she purred until she slept, and Danny smiled at her as he got back to work on the link.

He worked faster. He sang Christmas carols. And an hour later, when the Christmas lights dimmed to mere suggestions of colored lights, he cracked and shook the glow stick, which promptly lit up brightly, and he continued to sing Christmas carols. In twelve hours, when the glow stick went out, Danny was sure he would see some real progress on the link.

And he might have laryngitis.


	19. Chapter 19 Breakdowns & Breakthroughs

**Chapter 19** "Breakdowns  & Breakthroughs"

.

 **A/N:** (14 September 2016) Thank you for the reviews, the favorites, the follows! I really love reading them, knowing if you are happy, or starting to really worry about the events portrayed. I apologize for not responding to them, but writing time is limited, and the updates are my thanks. I do not mean to seem rude by not responding to reviews in private PMs.

I noticed a growing concern that the story had the potential to go on too long, and was becoming dark and depressing to some, so I decided to hurry it up. It won't affect the story except to shorten it and speed up Danny's rescue, which still won't happen right away. There was some flexibility always built in, in case readers generally wanted a faster rescue rather than a slower one. The integrity remains, I hope. Don't worry about Angel. This is not a deathfic, and that includes Danny's kitten.

I'm glad you expressed your concerns, because this story had the potential go too dark in some ways. I don't want readers to be uncomfortable. That was never meant to go into "disturbing" territory. I apologize to any readers who felt it went there.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

 **Chapter 19** "Breakdowns  & Breakthroughs"

.

After Lou had been cuffed to the chair in the interrogation room, called the blue room because of the weird bluish lights Steve had insisted be used in it, which turned the world the wrong colors and washed out brightness to replace it with dullness, Chin left Kono to finish the booking process. Lou was not happy, and loudly let the world know, but Chin and Kono said nothing to him, and did not even look at him. Chin locked the door after Kono stepped out of the blue room. "What a night," he sighed. "I have to go take Steve to Tripler." This would probably be after he and Steve went to question Renee Grover, Lou's wife, about her alibi, and Lou's.

Steve had been talking with Abby. She had been pulling up images from lots of cameras, but there was simply too much for two people to do. "Do you mind if I call in Jerry tomorrow? You know he'd love to help." Abby hesitated. "Have you called Danny's parents and Eric?"

Steve covered his eyes with his left hand. "I forgot even to call the governor."

"And we need to set up a tip line, for calls about Danny," reminded Kono. "The HPD dispatch is not going to want to field a bunch of calls on their emergency number."

"Add it to the list," said Steve, and his stomach growled loudly enough for his friends to hear. He ignored it. "And get those rescue guys assembled again, the ones who … just call Dr. Cornett and find out which ones, the ones who went out on the rescue / medevac flight yesterday on the homeless guy who got pushed out of a chopper. We're going up, uh, God I'm tired. We're going up to search the area where he was found, soon as we can fit it in."

"Which of us? I've got a lot of footage to still go over," said Kono.

Steve accepted an actual real life candy bar from Abby, tore the wrapper before remembering what the doc had said about no snacks. He wanted to scream. "I'm sorry, I forgot! I'm not allowed until after the … I'm having some tests done at Tripler, Chin is taking me. I'm sorry, Abby, but thanks." He gave the candy bar back to her, and saw that it was a Snickers, a personal favorite of Danny and Grace. He felt a force begin to build up within him, and he resolutely forbade his lip to quiver.

Abby shrugged and gave the candy bar to Chin, who said, ceremonially, "Waste not, want not," before doing unto it what Steve wanted so badly to do unto it, it wasn't even in the same zip code as "funny." After Chin had finished the Snickers bar, he commented to Steve, "Danny has good taste in candy bars. You look like you could eat your cast."

Steve's face crumpled and he slid down the wall behind him until the floor brought his descent to an end. He sat, knees drawn up, his left hand covering his face. He was blubbering, and there was nothing he could do to hide it despite the fact that, until this moment, no one present had ever seen him this wrecked and embarrassed.

The effect his breakdown, complete with distressing sound effects, had on his team was immediate and heartwarming. Chin was at his side a quarter second before everyone else was there too, all hunkered down, murmuring comforts, becoming a 4-person hug-sharing huddle. A tissue found its way into Steve's hand, and he mopped up the flood and blew his nose, only to need another tissue because Act Two followed, which was even blubberier, which had Kono and Abby on the verge of their own breakdowns. But when Steve blurted, in a voice he barely even recognized as coming from his vocal cords, because it was thin, half an octave too high, and hitchy, "We think Danny is being s-s-s- **s** _ **tarved**_ ," the exclamations and protests of Kono and Abby turned into copious tears, and the need for more Kleenex spread like a flash flood through the members of Five-0, with the exception of Chin, who managed to keep the flood to small rivulets of tears.

Steve's phone of course picked that time to ring, and it was Grace. Calling him after midnight. He cleared his throat and did a fairly convincing impersonation of someone not crying. "Gracie? What's wrong?"

"Uncle Steve?" which had come out with lots of extra U's and S's. As soon as Steve realized Grace was crying, he stopped like a switch had been flipped, and with the phone on speaker, everyone else more or less managed to do the same.

"Honey? What's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm h-h-h-hiding in m-my w-w-w-walk-in c-c-c-c-closet!"

"Hiding? Why, sweetheart? Are you in danger? I'm on my way!" Steve was doing a very good job of standing in for Danny, and that included literally standing, making sure he had everything with him that he needed to storm a small country to go rescue Danny's children. "Where's Charlie?"

The sounds of Grace sobbing her heart out had brought out the protector in all of Five-0. But finally Grace could talk again. "I know who-who-who did it. I know who took Danno. It was Mom and Step-Stan. They talked like he's d-d-d-d-dead! I saw ph-ph-photos on Stan's ph-ph-ph-phone."

.

H50 H50 H50

.

The three seconds of actual silence felt like an hour as Steve, Chin, Kono, and Abby processed what the distressed girl had just said. Then everyone jumped into action at once, which included Chin calling in search warrants, Duke being called, and HPD put on stand-by. Kono grabbed everyone's tactical vests and handed them out, began checking her weapon, while helping Steve into his tactical vest and making sure his sling was re-fastened over it. Abby made sure everyone had extra ammo clips for their weapons, and all were standing by the door, awaiting the official charge down the stairs and out to their vehicles.

No one doubted Grace for a millisecond. Steve soothed Grace as he spoke to her. "Honey, I need you to calm down and tell me everything, as clearly as you can. Were you seen? Do they know you overheard them?"

Grace was her father's daughter. She managed to turn off the tears, although they could hear them in her voice. "I was going to go down for a snack, but their door was open a bit, so I had to sneak real quiet. I had almost passed their room, and they were talking about Daddy." She went on to explain that she had stopped when she heard them giggle and her mom say, "Danny looks so stupid without his hair! God, Stan, these pictures are so precious!" Stan had agreed, and said it had been really fun to take Samson's precious hair, that he'd only wish he'd lived long enough to realize what he did. "And they both laughed!" Grace told them that she had snuck back to her room and called Steve right away.

Steve praised her for her quick thinking. "Honey, we are getting you and your brother out of there tonight, and arresting them both. Danny is not dead, you know that. We both feel it."

"Yeah," she agreed, her voice still very wobbly. "He looked asleep in the pictures. Uncle Steve, what if he is dead? Please come quick."

"Listen, Grace. He is not dead. We will be about twenty minutes. I want you to go to Charlie's room, make sure to tell him he needs to be very quiet, and go downstairs to the laundry room and hide behind the washer and dryer. Be very quiet. As soon as we arrive, I will call you on your phone, so make sure it set on vibrate, not ring. When I call you, go shut off the alarm system."

"Okay, Uncle Steve. I feel so worried!"

"We're on our way, Grace. Call me when you have Charlie and are in the laundry room, okay?"

Chin held up his thumb. They had their search warrant. Duke would bring it.

Kono whispered, "I thought they had alibis. Did I mess up?"

"We all saw that airport footage. We'll run facial rec and that may bust this wide open. Stan doesn't have the most unusual face out there," commented Chin.

"We have to get that phone from Stan before he tries to delete those photos," said Steve, and his face was the polar opposite of Blubbering Man from a few minutes ago. He was Commander Steve McGarrett, retired Navy SEAL, in full command of himself and his unit.

Twenty minutes later they were pulling up outside the Edwards residence, with two squad cars backing them up at the house, and a third blocking their cul-de-sac street, so nobody could slip by them if they made it to a vehicle and by some miracle made it past the assembled team. They also had a CSI van and team with them, which would go over the Edwards' house with an electron microscope, if necessary, to find any evidence that would lead them to Danny's whereabouts. No one had used sirens, and the running blue lights had been shut off two blocks shy of the house.

Grace had called fifteen minutes earlier, and was safe with Charlie. She had also told them that now the master bedroom door was closed. Steve called to let her know they were there. "Grace, can you come open the front door for us? As soon as you see us, Officer Pua Kai will take Charlie to safety, you remember him, right? He's with us, and Duke."

"Okay! I'm so glad you are here!" A minute later, she opened the door, and Five-0 entered. Steve hugged Grace quickly, gave Charlie a pat and a shush, and Pua Kai picked up Charlie and rushed him to the squad car, where he stayed with him. Charlie had a special fondness for Officer Kai, so it was the perfect pairing.

Steve whispered to Grace to knock on the bedroom door to wake up her parents. "Tell them Charlie is sick. Then you run for the front door, and join Charlie with Officer Kai. We are not risking your safety at all, so please stay behind us."

"Will they be mad at me?" asked Grace in a whisper.

Steve nodded.

Grace smiled.

Grace did everything asked of her, almost perfectly. As soon as Stan opened the bedroom door, he saw Grace behind the full Five-0 task force and Duke, guns drawn, and began gaping like a fish out of water. "Grace?" he stammered. She smiled and said, "Surprise, bastard!" before darting toward the stairs, and Abby made sure she reached the safety of Officer Kai before she returned to the task force while Steve grinned at Grace's jab at Step-Stan.

Stan, in nothing but black silk pajama briefs, had his hands in the air because 5 guns were now pointed at him. They heard Rachel being sick in the bathroom, so Steve held up the search warrant and pushed past Stan and headed straight for the night stand where the phone was clearly visible, and Chin and Kono had the pleasure of locking the handcuffs on the man they gazed at stonily. Chin read Stan his Miranda rights, and Steve moved toward the bathroom, Stan's phone already in an evidence bag. Through it, he switched it to display photos and saw three of Danny, just like Grace had described. He clenched his jaw and transferred the bag to Abby, who briefly looked, scowled, and transferred it to Duke, before she joined Steve at the bathroom.

When Rachel appeared a minute later, she was shocked. "What are you doing here?" she asked Steve. She wore silk pajamas, very feminine, and soon after had been read her rights and cuffed. "What happened? How did you find out?"

"Rachel!" hissed Stan. "Shut up!"

"But they know, Stan! You messed up again!" she hissed back, and started to cry. "I don't want to go to jail! I'm not even properly dressed!"

Steve snorted. "Mrs. Edwards, that is the least of your worries right now."


	20. Chapter 20 Not Enough Hours

Chapter 20 "Not Enough Hours"

.

A/N: (26 Sept 2016) You never know when Fate is going to swing her lead pipe and konk you on the noggin. The day after I put up Ch. 19, she swung hard. I'm recuperating from a bunch of stuff, a nasty infection, and a BAD allergy to an antibiotic which has kindof messed up my eyes. The hiatus was entirely involuntary. It's good to be back.

This chapter is very short, just to get me back into it and let everyone know I didn't fall off the planet.

Thank you for the reviews, the patience.

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

Chapter 20 "Not Enough Hours"

.

(23 December 2016, Wednesday, 2am)

It was a flurry of activity that followed the arrests of Stan and Rachel Edwards. Child protective services gave Steve temporary custody of Grace and Charlie Williams. Steve in turn called Dr. Cornett to explain his tardiness, and need to reschedule the tests, and after everything was explained, the doctor offered his home to the two sleepy children until everything was arranged for them at Steve's. His wife was all for the idea; his daughter Becca was Grace's nurse, and Charlie's needs would be looked after medically as well since they would make sure he took his anti-rejection meds on time. In the background, Steve heard a very kind feminine voice offer to stay with the children, since at least Grace knew her, and it would give her a feeling of security.

"That's Becca," said Dr. Cornett.

Steve instantly liked her, just from her manner with her father. No wonder Grace had become fond of her and said Danny had too, even if he didn't know it yet.

Steve covered the phone with his hand and asked Grace if she would be okay with staying at the Cornetts' house temporarily, and she was quite happy with it. She had long since lost her energy from the fear and then anger of learning that her mother and step-father had been involved in kidnapping her dad. She was falling asleep on her feet, but behind that she was worried for her dad. Charlie was asleep in Officer Kai's arms, wrapped in an HPD blanket.

Steve insisted on riding with Officer Kai to drop the kids off, and see where they would be staying. Chin and Kono had gone ahead to start investigating Lou's house, after that search warrant had been cleared. Everyone was way too busy. CSI was processing the Edwards house, and Abby was back at her scrutiny of camera footage, starting with everything the photos of Danny showed, to be followed by facial rec of the "Stan" Rachel had picked up at the airport. Steve had mentioned to Grace that they had been fooled by his clothes, luggage, Rolex, and Rachel's behavior towards him as a loving wife, when Grace had looked startled. "He never wears the Rolex on business trips. He has this huge three-timezone thing he wears, about the size of –and she made a shape about three inches in diameter—and he was wearing it when he came home.

When Steve got through questioning Renee Grover, he would get to Rachel, who was still going through the booking process, because everyone could sense she would crack long before Stan would. They needed to know who the guy was who had stood in for Stan, and if she knew where Danny was.

It turned out they got a lot of information all at once. Linseed oil cans, properly stored, were found in Lou's garage, disguises for both Step-Stan and Rachel were found behind a false-backing in the wall safe in the couple's bedroom, and a bag of frozen blood was found in the downstairs freezer at the Edwards house.

The next few hours were going to be very busy, indeed, thought Steve as Officer Kai pulled up in front of Dr. Cornett's house.

A/N: I'm sorry this is a partial, but I will write more very very soon. I hope this sets the next part up okay.


	21. Chapter 21 Impediments

**Chapter 21** "Impediments"

.

 **A/N:** (date) Because a number of reviewers said you cared about ME, I burst into tears because I didn't expect that and my thanks are very deep and true. You are such good people! I care about you too! Very very very very much! I am slowly getting better, and my eyes aren't as blurry as often. (The first time they did the sudden blobs and blurs thing, I so freaked out! Antibiotics and med allergies are not to be ignored, and two doctors…..did, despite my insistence. I was sooooo sick from that med! If things go haywire after you start a new med, don't ignore it. And don't let the doctors decide they know your body better than you do.)

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, even the strange CGI Jack Lord that we will say no more about except "Why?" and "someone has seriously lost their marbles."

A/N: This chapter is, er, well, uhm. It just happened! I think I needed it, so hopefully you will, uh, sortof like it, too?

.

 **Chapter 21** "Impediments"

(23 December 2016, Wednesday, 2:30 am)

Steve had his arm around Grace in the backseat of Officer Kai's cruiser. She was asleep against his shoulder, and she in turn was holding on to Charlie, who had curled up in her lap and was out for the count, wrapped warmly still in the HPD blanket. Steve did not have a free arm to itch his nose or scratch his knee, or any of the things one needs absolutely _needs_ to do the second one doesn't have a free hand/arm with which to do them.

He was tired squared, but awake. He had way too much on his mind to even think about sleeping. He needed four of him to do all the things he personally needed to do in the next given sixty seconds, all of them aimed at the vitally important need to get as much information as possible out of Stan and Rachel concerning the whereabouts of Danny Williams.

As soon as Officer Kai pulled up in front of the Cornett house in one of the nicer neighborhoods of Honolulu, Steve realized he hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't it. It was a nice house, normal, and looked like a great place to have raised kids. He could only see the front, but it was well kept, homey, and unostentatious. Steve felt instantly comfortable with the two storey dwelling surrounded by still-flowering Bougainvillea and the distinctive silhouette and leaf form of mimosa, plumeria, ferns, as well as banana trees, orchids and bird of paradise not currently in flower, and a yellow flowering vine crawling over the lanai roof supports on the second floor. The specimen tree in the front yard was a koa tree, otherwise known as the Hawaiian mahogany tree, standing tall, beautifully shaped. Steve thought the air smelled marvelous now, with the cool sea air not far away. It must smell heavenly in the summer! It was, in a word, beautiful, and fit in with the surrounding neighborhood so well that Steve was reminded a little of his own homey home.

Dr. Cornett and his wife were waiting on the front porch, as was his daughter, Becca. It was the first time Steve had seen either of the ladies. Dr. Cornett's wife was cheerful, short and slim without being skinny, and so pleasant and kind that Steve knew in an instant that her husband adored her, and she in turn adored him. Nobody attained that degree of happiness unless they were truly soulmates. Steve felt a tiny flare of jealousy, which he kicked in the shin and replaced with genuine happiness for the couple, hoping someday to find that soulmate type of love for himself. He resolutely did not think of Catherine.

Becca Cornett was also present, and it was clear she had taken the best genes and temperament of both parents. She was not beautiful in the model sense of the word, but had such a pleasant nature and features that she seemed to be. Her hair was short and somewhere between wavy and curly, darkish, and when she smiled the sky lit up, even at such a late hour. Steve thought she might be perfect for Danny. It was the strangest feeling.

And then another woman came out, and Dr. Cornett introduced her as his eldest twin, Hannah, and Steve's jaw hit the ground so hard, he almost said 'ow'. Who was this perfect-height (for him), honey colored hair goddess wearing pale jeans and purple t-shirt that hugged her athletic curves in all the right places, a small waist, perfectly shaped orbs of bosoms neither too big nor too small, and a voice like sultry music? His mouth went dry, his stomach filled with butterflies, and his ability to speak coherently flew out the proverbial window, leaving behind someone with a newly acquired slew of impediments.

He tried to introduce himself and shake the goddess's hand, but his own was clammy and his name came out more like "Stiff McGrit" than "Steve McGarrett," and at Hannah's touch, zingers flew up and down his nervous system, causing unseen (he hoped) but definitely felt things to happen to certain body parts such that he was mortified to be standing in front of the goddess's parents! 'Stiff' was not just a slip of the tongue, though it definitely was that too. He blushed so red, he was beyond glad it was night and the porch light was on the other side of Dr. Cornett, who was grinning with understanding. Steve immediately determined not to touch the goddess again, lest his problems worsen, if that were even possible.

"It's so mice to eat you," Stiff McGrit said, and did another tomato blush that was probably visible from the Orion Nebula. "Rarg! I'm moe smarmy!" he mangled, trying to apologize, then cleared his throat and went desperately for the superfecta. "Mate I half a glance of walter?" Upon that embarrassing gibberish, Steve mentally slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth and became abruptly mute, noticing out of his vastly diminished peripheral vision that Grace was giving him the strangest look he could ever remember.

"It's probably a good thing you didn't meet Hannah in daylight," smiled Becca, kindly. "My sister _is_ a beauty. And she's got brains, too."

Mrs. Cornett took pity on Steve and drew him into the house. "Would you rather have water, or tea?" she asked. "You can just nod." Steve had no idea which one he'd picked, because Hannah followed him, causing him to walk both self-consciously and uncomfortably from the zingers-affected body parts problem. Becca saw to Officer Kai and the kids.

Nobody noticed that Officer Kai had set his phone to 'record'. There was no bribe offerable sufficient to deny him the playing of this meeting for Duke and every member of the Five-0 Task Force. Beyond that, he would be keep it private.

Not long afterwards, in the comfortable living room, Steve's agony continued when it was Hannah who brought in the glasses of water and cups of tea for everyone in the room, which only excluded Becca and the kids. She was settling them for the night. Hannah entered with ethereal grace and blushed so becomingly, Steve got dizzy from forgetting to breathe. Then he got even more dizzy because he stopped breathing entirely when Hannah had to bend over just a bit to hand her father and mother their water and tea, respectively. Steve noticed because he could not help it, that the hugging of those jeans to the wearers parts indicated that the wearee was going commando. Steve thought he might faint.

He knew he must absolutely must see this creature of heaven in a bathing suit, even if it killed him to see it. To not see it, well, that would kill him too. So he suddenly burbled, "Do you smurf?" when she turned to him with his glass of ice water.

She pinked like the most beautiful pink flower in the universe and smiled. "I live in Hawaii! Of course I smurf! Surf."

"Would you smursurf with mmmme?" he begged. "And sim! Swiff! Aw hellk."

Hannah shyly answered that she would love to. Steve spilled his ice water all over the part of himself most in need of it while he grinned like a stupefied owl.


	22. Chapter 22 Realizations & Evidence

**Chapter 22** "Realizations  & Evidence"

.

 **A/N:** (7 September 2016) You are the most amazing readers! Thank you so much for the reviews for Ch 21, featuring Stiff McGrit and his jello brain! I even managed to thank all signed reviews, and am very grateful to all who reviewed! The Cornett daughters will be making more appearances. I neglected to mention that Ch 21 was lovingly dedicated to my friend Nancy, who has been a great source of encouragement. All Angel scenes are also dedicated to her, and more to come! Thank you, Nancy! 3

As much as we have seen of Steve, this story features Danny, and he's not forgotten. The only reason he wasn't in the last parts was because the solving of the crime doesn't involve him until later on. Still, he is a vital centerpiece for this story. He will be back in this chapter, but there's some stuff that has to come first, but then it's gonna be Danny! :D We needs our Danny! (And oh gosh was he gorgeous in his dove gray morning coat when he received the George Cross from Her Majesty the Queen of England in Friday's episode! They even let him look better than Steve! About keeled me over! [I actually had to research that medal, and they did change it a bit from the authentic George Cross, but that's fine.])

I already had Abby as a member of Five-0 before the season made it clear she was working with HPD, so I'm keeping her Five-0 for this. This is AU anyway.

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and so far I like how they are treating Season 7.

.

 **Chapter 22** "Realizations  & Evidence"

.

(23 December 2016, 4 a.m. Wednesday)

.

Half an hour after Steve spilled his ice water on himself, he found himself wrapped in a thick towel and fluffy slippers, as everything he _had_ been wearing was soaked and was tumbling in the Cornett dryer, including the sofa cover which was waterproof and there mostly for the grandkids descending in another day, but also for just such guests as Steve, who either were just clumsy, or caught their first glimpse of the eldest twin daughter, Hannah, while holding a glass or cup of liquid.

Hannah, after accepting Steve's invitation to surf, had qualified that she knew their date had to wait until he'd found his missing partner, Danny, because of course he was uppermost in Steve's mind. Steve kept his glow down to something only requiring extra-dark sunglasses, so appreciative was he of Hannah's compassion and understanding. He had actually managed to reply to her in almost-normal English, using two words, "Thmank you."

Then she led Steve off to the main bathroom so he could get out of his wet things, and got out the huge fluffy sky blue towel and found him a pair of fluffy blue guest slippers. When he reappeared in them, feeling about as self-conscious as it was possible to feel, only Dr. Cornett and Officer Kai were still in the living room, and Kai was texting happily on his phone. That was when Steve and Dr. Cornett worked out that he was welcome to stay at the house and get some sleep, because he knew Steve had a busy day ahead of him. He wanted Steve to get a good 4 hours of sleep, 5 if he could manage it, and then they would run those tests at Tripler Army Medical Center. He could ride in with the doctor and Becca, who would be working a shift as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Steve accepted the offers, sent Pua Kai on his way, so he could get some sleep too, and called his ohana at the Task Force to tell them to get some sleep, and be ready to hit things hard again in the morning. They in turn told him that more solid information had come in: the linseed oil in Lou's garage did not match what had been used at Danny's house. They knew the brand, though, and it was not the most common one. They were tracking down any sales of that brand in the past two weeks. It was only sold at 4 stores locally, none of which were near Lou's house, but one was quite near the Edwards' home, and another was only a half mile from Danny's house. There was a good chance they might get a hit on who had bought the linseed oil at either of those stores. They were already running through the security footage using Stan's photo.

A sketch artist was working on drawings of what Stan and Rachel would look like in their disguises, and once those were finished, they would be shown around, and the camera footage would be gone over again to see if it picked up either of them in their disguises. Stan was being anything but a model prisoner, and Rachel hadn't stop crying so her mug shot looked like something spooky from Halloween, and both were in solitary cells away from the regular population and each other, and would spend time in separate blue rooms later on the 23rd. They were going to double cuff Stan and cool the room a bit more than usual, because they could, and would let him stew while they spoke to Rachel in a different room.

Also, there was a witness alibi-ing Lou and his wife the night Danny and Steve were drugged. They had in fact been seen celebrating their anniversary, and making a romantic night of it. The witness had assured them there had been "sound effects." Witnesses also placed Lou in his office at the time the arsonist would have been busy at Danny's house: the postman had seen him sleeping, and later on a delivery person had too, so Lou was neither involved in the kidnapping of Danny, nor the attempted murder of Steve, nor the arson. He was clear.

Everyone was still angry with him, so he'd spend the rest of the night in jail, and Steve would talk to him in the morning, after the tests had been run at Tripler. After talking with Lou, he and Chin and the rescue crew of the homeless man still recovering in Tripler's ICU, would head up and see where he had been found, in case there was anything missed since so little had been expected to be found the day he had been stumbled upon.

Becca was the one who showed Steve to the guest room, with the promise that his clothes would all be waiting for him on the dresser in the morning. It had given Steve a chance to give Becca another look, and she was one of the nicest people he had ever met, radiating kindness and compassion. She also asked about his arm, and reminded him of Grace's appointment to have her cast checked late the next afternoon. She offered to take her in herself, or however Steve wanted to handle that. She was very concerned about Danny's daughter, and Steve could tell part of that was because she was so concerned about Danny.

Steve thanked Becca, and they talked briefly, but substantively. Now that Steve was officially smitten with Hannah, he looked at her sister differently. She was actually beautiful, radiantly so, but in an entirely different way than Hannah. And Steve wondered if what Danny had been doing wrong in his search for women was to go for the exterior more than the interior. Danny's "type" was tall, slender, leggy, long haired and usually blonde, since his ex-wife had light brown/almost auburn hair.

But here was Becca, shorter than Danny, with rich brown, wavy-curly short hair, an athletic figure not, however, shaped like an hourglass. She was on the muscular side without losing any femininity. And she was everything Danny needed, in Steve's opinion: loyal, supportive, happy and bright, with a quick wit and resulting fun sense of humor, and emotional strength enough to let Danny lead while being capable of leading when Danny needed that. They were equals, and complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses. Danny and Becca were already friends. All they had to do was make that leap beyond friendship, and Steve really believed the rest would take care of itself. Becca, he thought, was already there, but too respectful of Danny's feelings to push him into something he didn't want or didn't realize he wanted. Steve was definitely going to suggest a double date in there somewhere, to see if Danny needed pushing or was going to open his eyes to what was right in front of him.

Steve crawled under the light down comforter and fell asleep while thinking of himself dating Hannah, and Danny dating Becca, and how it would feel to do that. It meant that he would find Danny alive and well, and the future would hold good things for all of them. He really liked those thoughts.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny was sweating as he worked hard on the link. He was making progress, even if it was slow due to the conditions under which he had to work. He had a short plate to grind the link back and forth across, and the constant fanning and heat production was turning the box into a sauna while his muscles everywhere were becoming more and more fatigued and just plain sore. He kept up on his water consumption, and rested when he had to. Two fingers were almost blistered, so he was being careful.

He didn't know why, but as he rested, he found himself thinking about Steve and his lack of a girlfriend. Steve had loved Catherine Roll for years, but when he was about to propose to her, she had sensed it and run for the hills, ending their chance of ever again getting back together. Steve knew that was why she had run, but to top it off, she had lied to him about where she was going.

She was the one woman Steve had ever truly loved, and she had run and lied to end things with him. Since then, Danny's partner had been a bouncing ball between one or two-time dates with benefits, just to keep himself sane.

Danny wanted to live to see Steve settled. He also wanted to see himself settled, too. His kids deserved one parent happily married, since he didn't believe Rachel was really capable of being happy with anyone who didn't say "how high, Dear?" when asked to jump. Danny was not that guy, and that was pretty much the end of his thinking about Rachel, because it hadn't taken much for him to realize that her emotional manipulation of him was exactly that, and if there was one thing Danny would not ever tolerate again, it was being emotionally manipulated. He did not love her anymore. He didn't hate her, because she was the mother of his children. If not for that, his emotions might have gone much further towards dislike.

If he was honest with himself, his relationships had been well-intended, but not what he needed. Gabby was too career-oriented to make a good fit with a cop, plus Danny had never really shared her consuming love of antiquities and art. They had made great friends, and happy lovers, but that quality of soulmate love was entirely missing.

The same thing was true with Melissa. She was damaged in pretty much the same ways he was, and therefore they brought out the worst in each other, beyond the sex, which was quite good. But not good enough to hold Danny's interest. He cared about her, and his innate "fix it" nature had been engaged when he learned about her abusive ex-husband. Then he had come to realize that the reason he could not tell her he loved her was because he didn't. When Melissa had been dealing with her issues regarding PTSD and Danny being unable to say those three little words she so wanted to hear, he hadn't felt it was a good time at all to end things with her, even though he had realized they were not going anywhere with their relationship. She was hurting, down, and if there was one thing he knew, you never kicked someone when they were down, unless they had a gun on you. Then all bets were off. He had always intended to wait until Melissa was stronger before breaking things off with her.

Unfortunately for him, Melissa didn't have a problem kicking him when he was down, and had split to New York when he was dealing with learning his ex had lied to him about Charlie being his son. She had said she was taking a leave of absence from her job to settle her affairs in New York, now that she had inherited some things from her deceased ex-husband. The truth was that she used that as an excuse to leave without telling Danny she would not be back. He still had not heard that officially from her, so he was going to end things himself with Melissa as soon as he got out of this box. She had called a couple times, dutifully, after he had donated half his liver to Steve, but the calls had been short and awkward. It was time to put his own life in order. He had to think about his kids. And himself.

Danny knew he needed a soulmate. For one thing, he needed to show his children that such powerfully happy unions did exist. He had failed them both in that regard. When he got out of the box, he was going on a search for his soulmate.

He thought again about Steve. He thought about anyone he knew who might fit the bill for Steve. Right now Danny had one new and special friend, Becca Cornett, who he had known almost at once was one of those one-in-a-million wonderful people. The problem was that she wasn't his type. Becca was everything but tall, blonde, and she wasn't the kind to hop in the sack right off the bat, not to mention she was the daughter of his doctor.

Danny stopped and realized how shallow that thinking was. Was he looking for a Melissa replacement or a soulmate? Did he want his soulmate to be the bed-hopping type, or a good friend, no, a great friend, with whom he could grow old and love forever with all his heart? Someone who loved him as much as he loved her?

Becca had already become a good friend, in just a month. Was she soulmate material? He thought she might very well be, because he felt good when he was around her, looked forward to seeing her, and she had that look in her eyes when they talked that said she was not just listening vaguely, but was giving him her full attention -like she cared about what he was saying, and she remembered what he said, and why hadn't it ever occurred to him to ask her out?

"Because I'm an idiot," he said to Angel, petting her while she waited for him to toss her paperwad ball again. "I am an idiot. I am going to ask Becca out when we get out of here, provided she likes you. I know she already has a cat, but I have not yet met Clarence. So you have some say in this, Angel. If you can't stand Becca or Clarence, it's a no. I really hope you like them, though. And that I like Clarence too, because he is after all a cat. Which makes me sound as shallow as a puddle in sunshine on a hot day."

There was another plus to Becca, which he found himself thinking of. She had a gorgeous sister Steve would probably go mush-brained over. Come to think of it, there had to be something very special about Becca because Danny hadn't gone mush-brained for the gorgeous, ethereal Hannah, Becca's fraternal twin sister. That was something to think about. Normally, he would have forgotten all about Becca when he laid eyes on Hannah, and yet he hadn't even given her a thought, beyond that she was Becca's fraternal twin. Huh! But she could be perfect for Steve, because he knew Hannah was athletic, strong, and the opposite of a trouble magnet. She taught kindergarten at the same school Grace attended.

Hannah aside, Danny found himself picturing Becca's face, her to-die-for smile, her eyes that glowed, the voice he could very happily listen to for the rest of his life, the lips he wondered incredulously why he hadn't thought before about kissing, watching Grace laughing and being friends with her, which he had already seen a few times since Grace had broken her arm and Becca became her Nurse Practitioner, then chum, then friend. They already got along better than Grace did with Rachel, or any of his former friends with former benefits. He didn't think about Becca that way. He thought of her in the long-term way, if she liked him the same way. Interesting to talk with, interests in common, sense of humor to spend a lifetime enjoying, incredibly smart, gorgeous athletic body, curly hair to run his fingers through…someone he wanted to make happy for the rest of her life. Someone to find out if he loved. He knew he didn't know her quite well enough to say, and anything he was thinking was colored by the fact that they were separated by this box. But Danny had a feeling being outside the box again would only enhance his feelings for Rebecca Cornett.

Who would take Grace to her appointment this afternoon, with Becca? Nurse Cornett. No, Steve would work that out, or his ex and Stan. He was glad Grace would get to spend time with Becca this afternoon. He would send them both his own thoughts that he wanted to be with them, too.

What if Becca met someone else while he was locked in this box? Had he missed his chance?

The thought terrified him.

"I AM and idiot. I didn't see her right away for the crown jewel she is," Danny murmured. "And Steve would fall for Hannah like a ton of brick Jello, if those two meet. I will see to it that they do. Which means I need to get us out of here." Danny petted Angel again, who purred, patted his water bottle, so he took another drink, before he tossed the ball again and she went back to her crazy kitten antics chasing it while he picked up the notebook fan and the link of chain, and got back to work sawing slowly through it, while wondering if Becca Cornett missed him as much as he realized he missed her. Did she like him the way he liked her? Now that he had thought of her, he couldn't stop.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve awakened to the smell of waffles, bacon, and he wasn't sure what else, except that it made his stomach do FEED ME somersaults. He looked around for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. Memory came flooding in, and he noticed his clothes in a nice folded pile on the edge of the dresser, along with a plastic sleeve to protect his cast while he showered. He also noticed that he was nude, with one leg sticking way out from under the comforter, almost showing a whole lot more of himself than he wanted anyone to see, with the exception of the doctor, who would have ignored it because everything about Steve was old news. Oh how it plagued him to wonder if one of the ladies had come in with him displayed almost too entirely for … Hannah? If she had brought in his clothes, he would die on the spot.

He gulped, wrapped up in the towel and stuffed his bare feet into the slippers, and headed silently for the hall bath. He took a very quick shower, wiped everything down, and made haste to get into his clothes. He would simply pretend the Doc had done the delivery, even though he was 90% sure it hadn't been him, and found his way to the kitchen, where the entire household minus Hannah was having breakfast. Charlie was happily making a mess of his waffles and bacon, his little fried egg, and his glass of orange juice had more fingerprints on it than…well, he was only four.

Grace was eating, but slowly, and it was clear she had been crying. Becca was with her, and they were talking softly, while Mrs. Cornett hovered near in case she was needed. Dr. Cornett was scanning his iPad to see what awaited him when he arrived at work.

He was the one who first noticed Steve, and apologetically reminded him he had to fast for the tests they needed to run, so they would pile a plate high and bring it with them to eat after the tests were run. Mrs. Cornett invited him to do his own piling, since he knew how hungry he was, and what he preferred. Steve thanked them both, and ruffled Charlie's hair as he passed him, and knelt by Grace to give her a hug. "You okay, Sweetheart?"

Grace brushed tears aside and gave Steve a long hug. "I really miss my Dad. I need my Dad."

"We have some leads, and more should come in soon, Gracie. I promise, I won't rest till we find him."

"I know, Uncle Steve. I know you will find him."

Somehow, in the car, the clothes delivery had come up. It turned out the doctor had been the one who brought them in, but didn't wake him as sleep was what he needed, and he knew Steve was the type to wake up when his body said he'd had enough.

"Besides, I remembered you weren't, uh, dressed."

Steve felt instantly relieved, and oddly disappointed that it hadn't been Hannah. Which was weird, because he had already decided he would die if he found out it had been her. He was in uncharted territory, and he knew it.

He had received an update by phone from Duke. The lab had been working on many things all night long, and with the now-completed sketch of Stan in and out of disguise, and Rachel, they had had a hit on the disguised Stan at the hardware store close to Danny's house. Just in time for him to become arsonist Stan. Plus, in the searching of the Edwards house, a torn up sheet had come to light, stuffed deep in the trash. The weave, make, and color, fiber content, everything was an exact match for what had been used with the linseed oil at Danny's ruin of a house. Plus, his disguised self had not managed to evade all cameras in Danny's neighborhood. The most recent one, set up the day of the arson, had clearly caught him ditching his car a block away, carrying a backpack into the house, using a key to gain entry, and speeding off while pulling off the wig and hat disguise as he drove away. Facial rec had identified him within a 99.99 percentage. They had Stan cold.

The tests at Tripler had been quick. After the first blood draw, Steve scarfed waffles, bacon and eggs, juice, and some glorious slices of fresh pineapple he was making happy noises about along with Dr. Cornett, who was also a fresh pineapple fan. "You realize Danny does not like pineapple," Steve had said, and then regretted it. He didn't want the doc to think ill of Danny for even the smallest of character flaws.

But Dr. Cornett had only smiled. "I think Becca can change his mind about that." Which got Steve to wondering if the good doctor was eying Danny as a potential match for his younger twin.

Interesting thought. But then the doc took another bite, and mushed Steve's brain by casually mentioning that, when Hannah had the chance, she took a morning swim before breakfast, and this was exactly the kind of thing she liked to have, only not as much as they were having.

"Rilty?" asked Steve, impedimented again. "She smims fefore wiffles, begs, 'n shmam? Ark! My can't I spreak?" He scowled and shut up while the doctor choked on pineapple because he was laughing so hard. When he recovered, he simply said, "Because you like her. Hannah is beautiful, and we have seen many men react to her, but never anything like this. I find it refreshing, and I'll tell you something, Steve: she told me last night that she does too. I think she likes you. Untangle your tongue, your phone is ringing."

Steve's brain nearly short-circuited at the news that Hannah liked his reaction to her, only to have to do a one-eighty and try to focus on the incoming call. Luckily it was a conference call from Kono, Chin, and Abby, and all he had to do was pick up before they all started talking. "Boss, we got a lot of info overnight. The fake Stan from the airport was picked up on a camera, renting a boat at sunrise the day after you and Danny were drugged," said Kono. Abby picked up the story. "And the disguised Stan was seen at the marina, and it is believed he snuck onto the boat Mystery Man rented, because later in the morning, Stan out of disguise but carrying a small duffle, but wearing Mystery Man's clothes, returned the boat to the marina."

Now it was Chin's turn, because he had been on another line, and came to the smart table with fresh news. "We just got an ID on Mystery Man. Jason Black, and guess what? He and Stan used to work together, and had exactly the same job, and were often mistaken for each other. They bear a striking resemblance, and Jason has not reported in for work since he took a week off to 'go fishing', a trip he returned from precisely when Stan returned from Singapore."

Steve asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That Jason filled in for Stan on his trip, Rachel picked him up, and then Stan killed him?"

"Stan is racking up the bodies, isn't he?" remarked Abby, adding, "Potentially. When will you question him?"

"I've got another hour here before I can go and search where the homeless man, Mo Morris, was found. Who wants to come with me?"

Chin was elected, and would meet Steve at Tripler in an hour and drive them both to the helipad.

Steve had his last blood draw, to make sure he was metabolizing food properly, and was sent on his way very compassionately by Dr. Cornett. "I'll call you when the results are in. I think you're okay, but we need to make sure. Take it easy. I don't want to see you as a patient in my trauma ward for a long long time. Are you closer to finding Danny?"

"I sure hope so," sighed Steve. "We know the who. Now we just need to know the where. How is Mo Morris doing?"

"Not good," frowned Dr. Cornett, showing his concern. "But no worse. We are in limbo right now. A couple more days may make a lot of difference."

"A couple more days and it will be Christmas," said Steve.

"It's the perfect time for a miracle."

"If Stan won't talk, we will need one."

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny was focusing hard on his work, but he was also incredibly hungry, and tired through to his bones. His hands were shaking, but he kept sawing away at the link. The end of it was now shaped like a V rather than a U. If he just kept at it … just a little longer before he rested again. Just a little longer, while his fingers ached from the heat. He was this close to a blister, but he had to push himself.

But he had to take another break soon. The link was so hot, and the plate he was sawing against was too.

Suddenly Angel stopped playing and rushed toward Danny as his hand slipped. The link dropped as he said, "Ouch! Dammit!" His right thumb, already red and inflamed from almost being burned, caught on the same edge his knee had and he ripped a gash in it, which bled even with more enthusiasm than his knee. It was burned, blistered now, and gashed.

Immediately, with Angel at his side, he used his second and third fingers to run the link hard and fast across the side of the plate, to create enough heat to hopefully cauterize the wound. He had to wrap the link in cloth to keep his fingers from blistering, and when he could not get the link any hotter, he took a deep breath, and pressed the V to the cut on his thumb, and gritted out a long groan as the flesh seared. He succeeded in stopping the bleeding, but the pain was as intense as any he could remember. There were many types of pain, but Danny had a particular fear of burns, because they continued to damage the tissues until the heat was released, and he had no way to cool down his thumb, and the pain was so utterly unrelenting.

Quickly he used a piece of another paper plate to make another bandage, and wrapped it with the strip of cloth he has used to shield him from being burned by the link. He would give anything for some ice, anything cold. His thumb was burned badly now, and even though it was risky, he poured water on the bandage, and turned the notebook fan on it to cool it. As bad as his knee was, this was worse because of the burn.

He gathered Angel to him with his left hand when he finally gave up on cooling his burned thumb. It wasn't any better. "You always know when something is about to happen," he whispered, his voice pained. "You were trying to warn me." Angel rubbed her head against his jaw, and mewed sadly, then very carefully leaned her head on his injured hand, careful to avoid his thumb, then reached over and tapped one paw against the rest of the little paper plate. She looked at Danny, the plate, Danny, the plate, Danny, his thumb, the plate, Danny.

"A small fan?" Danny picked it up and used it as such, and it helped a tiny bit, but it did help. "Thank you, Angel Baby." The pain was still so intense.

"Steve," he whispered, while fanning his thumb. "Please find me quickly. I'm in trouble."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23** "More Evidence"

.

 **A/N:** (17 October 2016) You really are the best readers and reviewers! I thank you for your kind words! Thank you for reading, and those who take the time to leave a review, I deeply appreciate your encouragement, thoughts, opinions! The best part of writing is sharing it with others!

I am late with this chapter because my house broke twice and had to be fixed, and there was another visit to the ER as company to the person who needed the ER stuff. Life is being weird lately. Seriously, it is distressing (in a way also comforting) to know so many doctors and nurses, but the good thing is that each time there is more information that will inevitably make it into a story. Then there was the horrible return of the ER "what is in the air here?" allergy head cold thing. There is a cleaning agent or I don't know what in the air at all places one goes to to be doctored, and I'm super allergic to it.

 _ **WARNING:**_ Part of this chapter deals with the sensitive topic of a sexual molestation that came too close to happening. Graphic details about this will not happen in my stories. Ever.

Disclaimer: CBS owns all thing Hawaii Five-0.

.

 **Chapter 23** "More Evidence"

.

(23 December 2016, Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.)

.

It began to rain very lightly, considering how it could monsoon at this time of year. Steve was quiet in the Mustang as Chin drove him to the helipad at the Honolulu Police Department. They were going to accompany forensics and search and rescue teams out to the coordinates where Mo Morris had been found after he was pushed or possibly fell from either a chopper or a low flying plane the same night Stan had tried to kill Steve, and had killed the innocent roofer, Neil Lane, and kidnapped Danny and stashed him away somewhere. When found, Mo had mentioned the names Danny and Dan before succumbing to unconsciousness. If there was any chance he knew something about Danny Williams's whereabouts, they needed to try and find any clues overlooked when he was originally found.

Chin asked how the tests had gone, and if he was still starving.

Steve answered, "Fine," and, "Yes." But then it was as if an 'On' switch had been hit. "We have to find him, Chin. It's almost Christmas. We can't let him spend Christmas in a box, starving. –I'm actually not that surprised Stan is in on this, but it shocks me that Rachel is. She loved Danny! They had two children! He was good to her! And she tries to kill him? Or doesn't mind that Stan tried?"

Chin was watching his driving more closely, as he always did when it was raining, even lightly. "I know. I feel the same way. Stan, not too surprising, other than the fact that he seemed so mild to me, I could never understand what Rachel saw in him beyond his bank account."

"As soon as we finish searching the area where Mo was found, we will head back in and have a quick talk with Lou before releasing him. I have words I need to say. Then we talk to Rachel. Stan … I don't want to talk to him until he's just as mad and uncomfortable as we can legally make him, and we know what Rachel knows about things. I just hope she knows where Danny is, because Stan is going to hold that ace just as long as he can. If Rachel knows, we can convince her it is in her own best interests to tell us where Danny is."

Chin nodded, but then asked about Lou. "I mean, I'm glad he wasn't involved. But he's said and done things I never in a million years thought he would say or do. I don't understand why he hates Danny. Danny was always good to him, considerate about his terror when his daughter was kidnapped. I mean, they talked man to man, and you don't do that with someone you hate. Danny tried to help him!"

Steve had been thinking about that, while distracted by his right thumb hurting. It felt hot, except that it wasn't. Not to the touch, anyway. "I understand it," he murmured. "That's why I need to have words with Lou. By disrespecting Danny the way he does, he is disrespecting all of Five-0. He is disrespecting himself. Mostly, though, I can't like anyone for kicking a man already down. And saying he wished Danny had died after giving me his _whole_ liver … I find that very hard to get past. Danny saved my life twice in one afternoon, and Lou wishes he had died. That's cold."

They arrived at HPD and drove back behind the building, where the large helicopters were kept behind high fences topped with coils of razor wire. Within minutes, everyone was geared up and strapped in to the chopper, and off they went. Steve's thumb continued to bother him. He had an overwhelming desire to put ice on it. Finally, he asked if anyone had an ice pack on board. Whatever nerve was mad at him might calm down if iced.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Slow tears of pain and extreme fatigue were sliding down Danny's face, but he kept up with his scraping of the chain link. His thumb felt like he was holding it over a candle flame, the pain was so sharp, but it was encompassing the entire top joint. It was swelling, too. Already he had had to loosen the cloth wrap, and the cauterized gash had split open and was bleeding sluggishly, a drop every several seconds. He feared infection might be setting in. Between the redness, the blisters, the burn, the bleeding, the swelling and the hideous pain, there was no way to confidently say it was not infecting.

An infection could be deadly to him since he could not treat or even wash the wound, let alone bandage it properly. He was afraid, because there was nothing he could do about it. He just kept sawing away on the link, holding his thumb out of the way with muscles starting to strain and shake, as he had been doing it for hours.

Angel was sphinxing beside him, with her front paws resting on his leg, as if to show him by physical touch that he was not alone, that the kitten understood, and wanted to help any way she could.

Suddenly Danny gave a startled cry and sighed with unexpected relief. It was as if his thumb had been put in water just cool enough to begin easing the pain. Angel sat up and stared at his thumb, and began to purr softly. Danny looked at her and wished he could read her little feline mind. She looked back at him and squeaked out a funny, very happy meow, her cheeks all pooched out in a smile.

He reached out and petted her along her back, which she arched in pleasure. "You've got pull upstairs, don't you?" The relief was so incredible, he just thanked God, however he was accomplishing it. He needed a miracle for his thumb, and the coolness was that miracle.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve kept the coolness on his thumb for the whole flight into the hills, but at the end of the flight, he had to put the cold pack in the pocket of his lightweight waterproof parka before disembarking once the chopper touched down. It was time to begin searching. Still, whenever he felt the heat again, he touched his thumb to the cold pack, and felt immediately better.

Mo had been found in a relatively flat region in a reserve surrounded by sharply upsloping hills covered with dense vegetation, so there were plants and trees everywhere, and rocks that looked incongruous to the rest of the terrain. It was a wonder that the man had been found at all. He had fallen between two small but sprawling shrubs, so from that point, everyone fanned out and searched their area.

It was Chin who found the phone, about twenty-five feet in, under a rock with a bush covering it. Chin had seen a tiny glint from a piece of broken screen, and felt around until he found what might have broken. The phone, of all things, had precisely one piece detached from it, and Chin had been standing in the one place where it was visible.

That was the way these things worked, often as not. Chin saw that it was in fact the phone belonging to Mo Morris, and went briefly through some photos, and saw audio with video files too. He played the last one, turned pale, and immediately yelled for Steve.

Steve came running, and listened to Mo's and Stan's voices as they watched the video:

Stan was on his feet beside Danny, unconscious, as if he had just been dropped where he lay. His arms were slightly outstretched, and he was wearing what looked like an Ace Oahu roofer's coverall, but the patches were removed. The hem of the pants had also been shortened to fit his leg length, but not neatly cut. More like hacked quickly with scissors or maybe a knife. Danny was barefoot, with his right ankle wrapped by a heavy chain, a length running from it to the corner of the box, where it was locked in place, tethering Danny from being able to escape the box, and the worst shock was that his head had obviously been shaved with a razor.

Mo: "You said if I recorded this for you, you'd buy me a new phone and pay me extra. I'm holding you to that."

Stan: "I'm good as my word. You'll get money and a new phone, don't worry. You can see why I can't record this on mine. I want to be able to look back on this. My final revenge."

Stan looked down at Danny again, then suddenly began to unbutton the coverall.

"Stan, what are you doing that for? You're wasting time!" said Mo.

"It's the last time I'll get a chance to see what my wife ever saw in him," replied Stan, who by now had slid the coverall down to Danny's ankles. He quickly slid his boxers down his hips too, exposing him.

"Man, what're you doing? Do you want me to film this?"

"Why not? Nobody's going to see it but me. I guess he had something to offer a gal, but still. I think my wife would have wanted a guy who could give a whole lot more than a good fill."

Mo harrumphed. "She's your wife now, so careful how you talk about her. And he gave her 2 kids, you said, so whatever. C'mon, let's get out of here."

Stan hesitated, and took hold of Danny in a manner that made both Steve and Chin, watching, feel fury and fear, and added another charge to the many they already had charged Stan with. They listened as Stan asked Mo, "Hey, wanna **** him? He'll never know. Least, not till he wakes up and wonders why he's sore."

("Oh, God, no" whispered Chin, while Steve's face was definitely what Danny would have called 'aneurysm face' from the fear.)

Mo was not thrilled. "Man, I don't do guys. Let's get out of here."

Stan continue to fondle Danny, but finally stopped. "If I had time, I'd make him hurt for the rest of his life. Which won't be long. Did I tell you I spoiled the food, all but one part of it? He won't be happy, especially if he gets the bad part before he finds the good stuff. And he hates cats. So when the neighbor's cat had kittens and they offered me one for my step-kids for Christmas, I said sure. Won't Danny be thrilled?" He pulled Danny's boxers up roughly, and yanked up the coverall, then turned Danny onto his stomach, facing the wall. "He does have a nice ass, doesn't he?" remarked Stan, and his touch added yet another charge to the growing list. (Steve gritted his teeth. "Take your hands off him, you ****," he growled menacingly.)

"Where'd you find this place, anyway?" asked Mo. "I have no idea where we are."

"That's the whole point," replied Stan, standing up and looking at the Christmas lights coloring the room in splotches of pretty color, except it wasn't pretty, under these circumstances. "Okay, guess I can't do everything I dreamed of. Let's get out of here."

The video didn't end. Mo continued to film Stan as he let the kitten out its carrier, and then prevented it from leaving the box. Instead, the kitten beelined for Danny, and hunkered down by his head. Stan grabbed the carrier and threw it over the side of the place the shipping containers were, and it was the first glimpse Steve and Chin got of the area. There were at least two containers side by side, touching, and Danny was locked in the second one from the left. Stan used the heaviest locks on the door, and poured something into the locking mechanism. "Superglue," he said, and laughed. "Key won't work now!"

There was one last shot before Mo turned off the camera. It was of the side of the containers, and some out-of-focus buildings maybe a half mile or more in the background. It could have been a small business park or apartment buildings, there was no way to tell.

"How is Danny going to deal with knowing Stan did that to him?" asked Chin, and Steve knew he was no longer talking about just drugging him and leaving him locked away to die.

"We have time to talk to a professional and get some advice on how we should even tell him," Steve answered, his face sad and furious at the same time. "We'll make sure he has help, and we'll be there for him. Best thing is that Stan is going away for a long time, and can never hurt him again. We'll have to show this to Kono and Abby, and I think Dr. Cornett, since he's likely to know some good therapists. Beyond that, maybe Duke, but nobody else unless Stan pleads innocent and forces a trial. I think we should make it a priority that we convince Stan not to plead innocent."

"Danny has been through enough, without a trial that brings this garbage to light," Chin said forcefully. "He won't want his kids to ever know, and a trial would bring it out."

"If he ever tells … anyone else about this, it will be up to Danny to decide." He was actually thinking of Becca, because he hoped more than he thought he would that those two had something to build on towards the future. "Stan is going to plead guilty, if I have to make him."

Chin asked, "Who was flying the chopper? Was it Stan?"

Steve pulled out his phone and called Kono. She answered right away. "Does Stan have a chopper license?"

Kono checked quickly, and came back, "I don't know how I missed this, but he does. For the last 8 years. Did you find anything on the search?"

"We sure did. Cool Stan's blue room another degree."

"With pleasure."

The phone was all that was found, but since it turned out to be a gold mine, it was enough. CSI would continue to process the site while Steve and Chin were flown back in, both glad to be out of the steady drizzle. The helicopter would go back for the CSI team when they were done.

Steve kept studying the photo of Danny, drugged unconscious, bald, dressed in a blue coverall that looked a lot like the ones Ace Oahu roofers wore, except there were no identifying patches. He studied Danny's relaxed body, so innocent of what had happened, and what had almost happened. The kitten standing guard at Danny's head. The baldness. "Why did Stan shave Danny's head, Chin? It's so personal! It will take months for it to grow back, months, Chin! And why the kitten? Stan knows Danny doesn't like cats, so why?" asked Steve, watching the whole video. "There's a litter box, and food – the kitten gets more food than Danny! I see peanut butter, the kind he hates because it's cheap and has tons of preservatives in it. He likes the good peanut butter. And only two jars. Chin, I know I can't, but I want to kill Stan. He said all but one part of the food is spoiled."

Chin could see how upset Steve was as he looked at the paused video. "At least we have something visual to go on. There might be clues to where Danny is if we can figure out what buildings those are behind the place."

Steve ran the video forward, then suddenly pointed at the buildings behind, blurred. "He's not on the ground floor. This shot is up a few floors. He might be on the roof. How the heck would he climb down? The building he's on isn't finished. It looks to me like abandoned construction. Halted or abandoned. There's usually a reason for that. We can pursue that angle. We have some scant clues to go on now, which is more than we had before concerning where Stan left him."

Chin had to agree. "Yes! Multi-storey, abandoned construction, with more buildings nearby."

"Describes a lot of Oahu. Other islands too. Shoot, we still don't really have a good idea of where he is."

Chin felt compelled to be more positive. "When the lab gets through analyzing this, I bet we have a better idea."

"I hope so, Chin. We can't let Grace or Charlie see these photos. Grace already knows, but she doesn't have to see these photos."

Steve got a very nasty look in his eyes. "I'm personally going to shave Stan's head."

Chin nodded, and his smile grew. "Sometimes head lice don't respond to that medicinal shampoo, you know."

"Sad, but true." Steve nodded. "Stan will regret ever hurting, ever touching Danny."


	24. Chapter 24 Moments & Memories

**Chapter 24** "Moments  & Memories"

.

 **A/N:** (24 October 2016) Again, I so appreciated the kindness of your reads and reviews! This has been another weird week, but the story has taken firm hold again and will not be so slow after this. The story wants to be told, and I want to tell it. I am so glad you are enjoying it! I thank you humbly for each review, each read. Of all the things you could be doing, you choose to read my story. It blows my mind, and I'm grateful.

This chapter is all Danny and the kitten, about 90/10% respectively, because we needed this. Danny is by virtue of his situation not as much a star of the chapters as I would like him to be, so when I get a change to showcase him, here ya go!

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and please go easy on Alex O'L's back, please. And renew the series for Season 8.

.

 **Chapter 24** "Moments  & Memories"

.

(23 December 2016, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.)

.

Danny Williams had done everything he could that day to make headway on the steel link he was slowly sawing through. The V shape of the end of it was more pronounced than the U it had been at the beginning. Tomorrow he would begin to flatten the end of the V, sawing as before, but running the sharper edge across the side of the metal square to which the tether was bolted. If he alternated between sharpening the V, and flattening it, it would take less time to finally saw all the way through the bolt, and his ankle would finally be free from the metal square. He would still have the tether chain attached to his right ankle, but that was actually useful, because he could use as many of the remaining links as he needed to saw through the door until he had a hole large enough for him to crawl out.

Such was his plan, and he really could not come up with a better one. He had 28 days to finish cutting through the tether's end and the door. He simply could not think about not finishing in that time. There would be no more cat food. He was not going to let his little kitten go hungry.

Danny was in great pain, in just about every way possible. Muscles and joints ached from holding the same cramped position most of the day, while he worked on the link. He was so tired, he needed sleep. And it was time now, because the glow stick was very dim, and he needed to be sleeping before the blackest of darkness hit. He was curled up on the blanket, with Angel snuggled close to him, purring like a monotone lullaby. He was ready to sleep, and too tired to do more than slowly pet Angel with his left hand. He closed his eyes before the light finally dimmed to nothing at all. Despite the pains he felt, the hunger, the darkness was still the worst of what he faced. Yet, he was simply too miserable and tired to think much about it. And all the sleep he would get was around four hours before the Christmas lights came back on, signaling the beginning of a new "day."

Then more sawing and more starving would begin again.

He had been careful to drink enough water, made sure Angel ate the contents of today's food packet, had water, and received lots of love and play. He had cleaned her box again, taken care of his own personal needs, minus anything that resembled a shower. He had wiped his face and areas most needing cleaning, for hygiene's sake, with one of the baby wipes. It wasn't nearly enough, but it was all he could do. He would allow himself to use three of the baby wipes on Christmas, to take what would have to pass for a bath. When he woke up again, it would effectively be Christmas Eve.

Using his left hand, he carefully kept notes on everything he ate, drank, did ….

As exhausted as Danny was, sleep would not come, so he kept his eyes shut and thought about what came to mind. He was so miserable. Everything hurt. And hunger was never-ending. Before curling up on the blanket, he had eaten a small "spoonful" of peanut butter, filled his water bottle, and checked his injuries. He was fairly sure the gash on his knee was not infecting.

He was fairly sure his thumb was. Funny, the gash on his knee was much longer, was going to leave behind an impressive scar. But it was his burned, gashed thumb that was the problem. It had swollen more, and was still blistered and sharply painful, still much too hot. The coolness he had experienced during the afternoon had helped, and he had taken to using his breaks for fanning his thumb with the little paper plate, and a few precious drops of water from his bottle. The bandage came off as he poured the water on it, and fanned it. It was slowly making some difference, while the injury worked in the other direction, toward infection. He knew his only hope was to cool the burn before the fever damaged the tissue beyond what he could save. When he went back to work on the link, the bandage was carefully re-applied.

Long ago, he had read in some book that courage in the face of health was good, but courage in the face of sickness and pain showed more about what a person was made of, because it took so much more out of one to keep going when all was misery. He wondered if that meant he was made of strong steel, because he was determined to keep going until he dropped and simply could not continue. He hoped his thumb did not really become infected, because if it did, he was not going to give up. No matter what, he was getting out of the wretched box, with his kitten, and he would face what came after escape when he came to it, since he had no way to do more than generally plan to find food, water, and help, not necessarily in that order, though. If civilization was near, the help part should include the rest, and it would be nice if he was not far from where there was a town or settlement or city.

Danny had a feeling that whoever had locked him in the box would be surprised that he was even doing what he could to escape. This was supposed to be his end, his coffin. He was not supposed to have figured out a way to release himself from the tether, and thereby make it barely possible to patiently keep sawing at the door wall until he had made a hole he could escape through. With Angel.

He was still stroking Angel, but the little eight-week-old kitten had fallen asleep, so he stopped, and just kept his hand on her, since he could not see her. Maintaining contact was important, but he did not open his eyes. Instead, he felt her breathing expand and contract her ribcage with little rises and falls, covered by soft fur.

Danny wanted to sleep, too. He was achingly tired, and completely awake, even if he had no desire whatsoever to move. He was even chilled a bit, for the air coming from the vent pipe above him was cooler than usual. Perhaps the tropical weather had taken a turn toward storminess. He felt humidity, but little more than usual. But it was cooler than usual, and while his body was not quite prepared for it, his thumb was responding a tiny bit. He reached with his right hand and let his non-thumb fingers touch the metal floor. It was cooler, so he managed to find a way to touch his thumb to it. It hurt, but soon the coolness of the floor was seeping through the bandage, and the pain responded the smallest bit. He had to keep switching where his thumb touched the metal, as it was heating up the metal as much as the metal was cooling his thumb. The two were in a competition, so he moved his injured thumb as often as he needed to to keep the coolness in the Win column.

Danny knew he had been missing two whole days now, and was heading into the third soon after the Christmas lights came on. That was two whole days that his friends had undoubtedly spent trying to find him. That they had not already come knocking on the box told him a lot. Whoever had locked him in here had covered their tracks well. Nobody in Five-0 was a slouch at following clues and putting two and two together. And they had the means, methods and contacts to work fast. Two days was a long time to everyone who wore the Five-0 badge.

They were having problems finding him, possibly even finding who had done this to him. He had a feeling that was not exactly the case, because if two days passed without Steve, Chin, Kono and Abby at least having a pretty good idea who was responsible, it was unusual. But knowing and finding were two different things. Knowing and finding and getting the person to talk were three different things.

And then there was the real possibility that the person had been killed trying to evade capture. Danny knew his friends would try not to kill whoever it was. But there was an ugly truth out there, called "suicide by cop", and if that had happened, well, he would just have to keep working on his escape plan.

They expected him to try his best. He expected himself to try his best. They were trying to help him, of that he was sure. And he would return the favor by doing his level best to help them, by continuing to work at escaping.

Danny thought about what the person who had locked him in the box had expected him to do. Wait quietly to die? Wait unquietly to die? Eat the kitten? Bang his bald head against the wall until he was so concussed, he lost consciousness and gave in to despair? Scream or cry himself hoarse? Believe the note? Stare at the word "COFFIN" painted on the pantry wall until it became true? Pour out the water, dump all the food (or eat it and be sickened by it) so he would only have to suffer for three or four days, the time dehydration would kill him?

He felt encouraged, because whoever did this to him did not know that none of that was going to happen. He was a fighter. He was smart, and he had a lot to live for. He thought about Grace, and hoped someone was remembering to take her to see Becca for that checkup on her arm. He thought of Charlie and his newfound fascination for all things that had anything to do with Police. He was still enthralled with anything remotely to do with Fire fighters and their equipment and trucks, but ever since he and Officer Kai had become friends at the Thanksgiving dinner barbecue at Steve's house, he could not get enough of Police. Danny's job didn't count; he didn't ride in a police car, or wear the blue uniform Pua Kai did. He was Five-0, not "po-weese", which everyone in the universe but Kai was automatically correcting to "Police" since Charlie could say L's when he concentrated. He was at that age where baby talk was giving way to the right words, most of the time. He was hanging on to "po-weese" as a means of not wanting to grow up, where most of the time he did want to.

Kids growing up was a slightly painful topic for Danny, because he wanted Charlie to retain his innocence for just as long as he could. Grace had been forced to lose some of hers, seeing the things that had happened to her dad throughout the years. Plus, she was a new-minted fifteen. That age alone meant a lot of new challenges would present themselves: drinking, drugs, using bad language, peer pressure to be mean (since very little peer pressure had anything to do with being nice), lying, sneaking out, never-ending texting, and worst of all, sex and boys. Young men. Grace had never shown interest sexually in girls, but she had begun to notice boys. She and Danny had had the most awkward talk ever about young men and young ladies, and how one should act toward the person they had those wretched hormonal feelings towards. She had asked her father if she could use the pill, "because she could pick when she had her 'euphemism' and avoid cramps," and it had shocked Danny into forgetting to wonder why she had not had this talk with her mother. But he was flattered (and flabbergasted) that she had chosen to have it with him instead.

He had refused her request for birth control because of the toll it would take on her body's chemistry if she began using the pill so early in life. She had accepted his decision, after doing some research, and talking to Nurse Becca about the subject, after she broke her arm. Danny wanted his daughter to make an informed choice, and to know the facts, not just her father's decision. It had not been made lightly, but with her best interests at heart.

He had also reminded Grace of the Purity Ring she wore, which was a promise between father and daughter that Grace would hold herself chaste until she found the right guy, and her Purity Ring would be exchanged for a Wedding Ring.

He thought back to that Thanksgiving party, just before she broke her arm. Grace had asked Danny to give her some space, which had stung even if she had put it nicely. He had watched while her eyes followed Steve's young friend, Nehele, with that look that could only be called "first crush".

And Danny also remembered, after Grace noticed Nehele, and Nehele sortof noticed Grace, that she had chided her father for breaking his own "purity promise" with his girlfriends with benefits. Danny had begun thinking about that, and since meeting Becca, he had been working on what to finally do about Melissa, and their "off again" relationship. There hadn't been any benefits for awhile, and yet there was still that possibility. She was almost living with Danny, before the plane crash anyway, and the liver donation to Steve, and her flight away to hide in New York City.

But now, Danny knew he was going to talk to Grace about his own decision not to do the benefits thing with the women he met. He had fallen hard for Becca, and she didn't even know it yet. Danny wanted to ask Grace if he could ask Becca out, and keep things on the same moral standard he had asked his daughter to have. He had been a bad example for her, and he wanted to right that wrong.

But first, he had to get out of the box. There was so much he could not do, and needed to do, because he was locked away.

And then it came to him: if he never did get out, and was not found, he could still tell everyone what he wanted to tell them. He had paper and a pencil. He was going to spend Christmas Day writing letters to those he loved. Someday, those words would be found, and read, and they would know he loved them and what he had hoped to say to them.

Danny shifted a bit so he could cover as much of himself as he could with the second half of the blanket. He was getting too chilled. Angel cooperated and snuggled against him after rousing with a squeak of protest, only to purr for less than a minute before she was again sleeping. Danny finally found sleep, too, and some peace.


	25. Chapter 25 Working The Case

**Chapter 25** "Working The Case"

.

 **A/N:** (27 October 2016) Your reviews and reads are so kind, and so appreciated! Writers don't know if they are getting it right unless people tell them. Every review, favorite and follow blows my mind, and it's hard to believe this story means something good to a lot of people. I'm glad it does. Thank you with lots of happy purrs!

Warning: this is a Dannyless chapter, but he'll be back in the next one. I feel like he is in this one, but there are no Danny scenes, and I know that dulls things for some. That's why I made this one short.

When a story is set in motion, it has a certain life expectancy to it, and that means it has to go for as long as it takes to tell all of it. This story will not end by Christmas, but hang in there, it isn't going to go too much past it. It takes time for certain realizations to be made, and just as I don't take an almost-baked cake out of the oven, neither will an unfinished story be hurried. I'm not shortening this. I said in chapter 1 that it was going to go for awhile, and while it is true that the story has shortened itself some, it still needs longer to be ready to end. I try to make it worth the read, and if I'm failing to do that, I apologize. I watch the stats to see if I'm losing readers, so I do pay attention. Just hang in there awhile longer, and never be wary of telling me what you do and do not like. I listen. I can take criticism. I love hearing from you!

Disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

 **Chapter 25** "Working The Case"

.

(Wednesday, 23 December 2016, 3:30 p.m.)

.

Steve McGarrett could delegate a large portion of duties and responsibilities to his Five-0 Task Force ohana. Right now, everyone was busy with a variety of things he had delegated, such as searching facial recognition, following up on leads, pressing new charges on Stan Edwards. But there were some things only he could do.

Two of those were calling Danny's parents and nephew in Newark, and tell them that their son and uncle was missing, that they had the people responsible in custody, but that they still did not know where Danny had been stashed. Steve talked with Mr. and Mrs. Williams for as long as they needed him to, answered questions, and told them the truth, and asked them for a favor: could they gather up copies of Grace's baby pictures, anything of that nature that documented Danny's life in photos that were ruined when his house was burned and destroyed by explosion. They readily agreed to send what they found.

Steve called Eric Russo as soon as he hung up, and told him everything, too. Eric wanted to hop the next flight back to Honolulu, but Steve asked him to wait until after Christmas, to help his grandparents cope with things. He mentioned the photos and things Danny had lost in the house arson, and Eric took that on as a personal mission, to gather things into albums, and he would bring them back to Honolulu as soon as Christmas had passed and if his grandparents were okay with him leaving.

The only thing Steve had not told either Danny's parents or Eric was that Stan Edwards had committed sexual assault on Danny. That was information that was not going to come out unless it had to, and Steve was going to make sure he did all he had to to keep that away from public knowledge.

Steve had asked Chin to stop at his house long enough to grab a jacket, as a cold front had moved in over Hawaii. He took the first long-sleeved Chamois shirt he touched, not wanting to waste time. Luck was with him, because it was medium navy blue, and therefore went with everything. Chin helped him in to it, and re-fastened his sling over it. They stopped next at Chin's house, and he grabbed a khaki jacket for himself, something in a feminine shade of khaki for Abby, and then got the jacket for Kono that she had requested Adam to pick out, after they called her and asked her which one she wanted. They had everyone covered, literally.

Dr. Cornett had called Steve while he was waiting for Adam to hand them the dark gray all-weather shirt Kono had requested. Chin spoke with Adam while Steve talked with Dr. Cornett. The tests had come back fine, so it was believed that Steve was indeed hungry because he was picking up on Danny's hunger. "You two really are like a married couple, where the husband gets cravings because his wife does, or tosses his cookies in sympathy when his pregnant wife does," sighed the doc. So Steve told him about the pains he had been getting in his thumb. They were easing, but still there, and cold helped.

There was a short silence from Dr. Cornett. "Nerves are funny things, and sometimes a broken arm can cause nerves elsewhere to hurt, and cool compresses would be what I would suggest. If it is your own pain, the compresses will help. If you are picking up on another injury of Danny's, well, if you say cool helps, who am I to argue? Go ahead with that. But keep your eating reasonable."

Steve hesitated so long that the doc asked what was on his mind. So Steve told him that Danny had been assaulted, and that they were going to need to know how to tell him when they found him. If he could suggest the right psychologist….

The doc let out the longest sigh Steve had ever heard, and replied sadly, "I will get right on that. I'm so sorry. Danny will have all the help he needs, and even more support. Should … should I tell Becca? She's in with Grace now. My wife brought her in for her appointment, and will be taking her home, er, back to our house afterwards."

Steve echoed the long sigh. "I think maybe so, but make sure Grace doesn't learn of it. I'll come by tonight to see the kids for a bit, and … I'll show you both the tape. It will help you to figure out who might be best to help Danny."

"Okay."

"How is Grace's arm?" Steve asked, caring deeply about the answer.

"I saw the X-rays. She's looking real good, and Becca has the cast scheduled to come off in another 3 weeks. Grace is in a nice new pink plastic cast, which is lighter and padded so it will be more comfortable."

"Some good news! I'm glad to hear it. Any word on Mo's condition? I think he is largely the one who kept Stan from doing worse to Danny. He's a good guy deep inside."

"No change yet. And that is not good news, but not unexpected," the doc answered, his mind clearly still reeling. "We're still listing him as critical. He has a long way still to go."

"You care a lot, don't you, doc."

Dr. Cornette's voice was rough with emotion. "Yeah. I get attached. I'll see you tonight, Steve, and will have some names of psychologists."

Chin came back to the car when Steve signaled for him, and they headed to the Palace, where the rest of the Five-0 ohana needed to see the new evidence they had. A copy would be made of any part of the tape that would help in pinpointing the location of the shipping containers. Then, it would be time to talk to Lou when he was released from custody, and then would come the talk with Rachel.

Kono and Abby did not take the tape well at all. Both quietly had tears sliding down their cheeks. Kono, clutching her dark gray shirt, whispered, "All these years, I thought someday that would be me, I don't know why. But never Danny. Never Danny."

Steve hugged her, as did Chin and Abby, a four-way Five-0 embrace. "We'll all help him," they said together.

Then they got to work.

On the way to talk to Lou, Steve heard from the team still combing the Edwards's home for evidence. In the wine cellar, they had found a rack that swung out, and behind it a room that was clearly a small panic room. In it was another small safe, and in that they had found a Ziploc baggie holding quite a bit of blond hair. From the style of it, it was the remnants of someone getting a buzz cut. They were having the lab run it against Danny's hair, samples of which they already had. They also found Danny's clothes, which had been cut off him with scissors, and his shoes and socks. They had everything of Danny's that they had been missing.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve approached Lou Grover alone, and asked him if they could talk. Lou had just finished putting his belongings away, his wallet and other things. Renee, his wife, had come to pick him up, and was talking with Chin.

Lou gave Steve a long, appraising look. He seemed on the verge of saying something snarky, but whatever he saw in Steve's face quieted the snide comments. "Sure, Steve."

They found an empty visiting room, and Steve closed the door behind Lou. "Take a seat."

"Okay," muttered Lou, unsure what was coming, but knowing it could not be good.

Steve didn't sit for ten seconds before he was up again, pacing. "We found the arsonist, the perps who tried to kill me, who took Danny, and killed the roofer, and we suspect killed another man who is missing, and another guy who is in the hospital in critical."

Lou waited until finally he had to ask. "Who?"

Steve finally looked Lou full in the face. "Stan and Rachel Edwards."

Lou was shocked, and his face showed it. "His ex and her hubby? They did all that? That's low! That's flat-out betrayal! Danny never did anything to them to deserve that! Makes me think of how my partner from Chicago killed his wife and … man, I don't know what to say. You find Danny yet?"

"No. But we're working hard on it." Steve stopped pacing, and sat in the chair, barely. "We think he's alive. He was locked in a shipping crate with spoiled food, his leg chained to the wall, with a string of Christmas lights on one wall, and the word COFFIN painted in black, and if we don't find him, he's gonna die in there. And when it gets dark, he is terrified. I feel it, Lou. I feel his hunger, his pain, and his fear. And his determination to get out of that box."

"Claustrophobia. Man. Danny's a good guy, he doesn't deserve any of this. Stan and Rachel … I can't get my head around that."

Steve scowled. "So you think he's a good guy? Really? If you thought that, why did you treat him like ****? Why did you belittle him, try to turn us against him, make us have to choose between friendship with Danny, and friendship with you? Because, Lou, I would have remained your friend, we all would have, if you had treated Danny fairly. But you didn't."

Lou looked away, and his face was somber. "I know," he finally said.

"Because he's my partner, Lou," said Steve, his voice thick with loyalty. "MY partner, Lou. You kept disrespecting him, and after awhile, we all began to, even me, and then that plane thing happened, and the liver donation, and we all realized we'd been hurting him almost out of habit. Like he didn't matter. Because you kept telling us in big and small ways that he didn't. That YOU did. That you were better than Danny. And because it was hidden in your jokes and teases, which just kept getting meaner, we slowly fell into getting meaner too. Until the crash, him saving my life, and that hospital stay, when we realized what was going on, because Danny had had enough and finally we listened to him. All but you listened to him. You just kept jibing him, hitting him literally when he was down. You attacked him in his hospital bed, Lou. You attacked him at his house, at Thanksgiving, because he refused to help you get an in with me, to help your consulting firm. He did the right thing, and you hurt him, _proving_ he did the right thing. And now, you say he's a good man and doesn't deserve Stan and Rachel's betrayal. What the hell did you do but betray him? Huh?"

Steve watched Lou rub his hands over his bald head, and waited for him to reply. Before he did, though, Steve blurted out that Stan had shaved Danny's head and saved his hair like a trophy.

"Oh, man!" Lou face wore genuine shock, and sadness. "He loved his hair! How will he cope with … losing so much? His house is gone. I'm sorry for what I said about that, not caring. I don't know … I been thinking a lot. I know I did wrong. Everything you said earlier, me becoming poison. I got jealous, and things would have been so different had I not done that. I should have seen Danny as a friend, not a rival. It's up to you, Steve, to pick your partner, and I knew that, but I didn't feel that. A lot of things my head knew, but my heart wasn't listening. Sometime while I was in that jail cell, wondering if I'd be charged, I started really thinking, because I said stuff I'd've smacked anyone else for saying."

Steve stated softly. "I want you to apologize to Danny when we find him. When he's ready, because he's gonna have a lot to deal with when we do find him. He's lost more than you know, and he's locked in a box, trying his best to get out. He's suffering, and when we find him, all that is gonna hit him like he dares not let it hit him now. Plus, he doesn't know it was Stan and Rachel. He doesn't know his car and house are gone, and other people died, one just because he looked too much like Danny for Stan to stomach."

"That's so sick," whispered Lou. "That's such betrayal. And I did betray him, too. I realize that now. I betrayed all of you. I'm sorry, Steve. I'll apologize to everyone, but mostly, to Danny. Despite everything, he always treated me with respect. I wish I could say the same. I'll apologize. I need to make things right with him, even if he doesn't accept it. I have to try."

"I'm holding you too that. And I accept your apology. Now go home with Renee, and have a good Christmas with your family."


	26. Chapter 26 Dreams & Realities

**Chapter 26** "Dreams  & Realities"

.

 **A/N:** (date) I have not given up on this story, nor lost my muse! Fate and her lead pipe did swing again. The day after I posted Ch. 25, my sister's formerly well-behaved gall bladder suddenly went south (yup, another ER visit), and she had it removed (laparoscopically) on 1 November. My sis was ready but my nerves weren't. Go to talk to the surgeon, surgeon doesn't like the way things are, says, "We need to get that thing out. We have an opening in the OR this afternoon. Can you come back in 2 hours?" Uh, sure! See you then! I begin quietly panicking because I would be my sis's caretaker, and I couldn't even **think** of writing until she started to feel better, and there were more adventures, like the car battery picked the hospital parking lot to die in AFTER the surgery, requiring a return home by cab, really late because it turns out my sis has a problem with anesthesia and turned a 6-hour thing into a 10 hour one, and then she got an unrelated infection, and sigh. So, things are okay now, she's much better, and I can write again. Car has new battery; sis has one less organ and 4 jeepers scars. My nerves are settling.

Thank you for being so patient, and for reviewing 25 and being so kind! Now if Fate will stop swinging that da(r)n pipe, maybe I can get some momentum going again! I'd like to finish this story before it actually IS the time of year when the story actually ends!

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

.

 **Chapter 26** "Dreams  & Realities"

.

(Wednesday, 23 December 2016, almost 6pm, Sunset)

It was Christmas noon, a glorious day. The weather was anything but snowy or cold, as it would have been in New Jersey, but Danny was actually getting used to not having to spend part of his Christmas or Christmas Eve shoveling the newest depth of crystalline white snow from his driveway. Snow in Honolulu simply did not happen, so there was more time to spend with his children, and that beat out snow anytime.

Danny was on the phone with his ex, Rachel, who was complaining that Stan really wanted the kids to be there for the special luncheon he had catered for their friends and business colleagues who would pack the house. Patiently, because Danny could hold his temper easier on Christmas than most other days, he asserted his court-given rights, hard fought for and won. "No, Rachel, I will be there in less than 20 minutes to bring the kids over here, to _my_ house, to spend time with me and _my_ friends. You got them last night, as my gift to you, when I should have had them, so I get them all day today and all night too, because we agreed on that. I will see you soon. Bye."

He was excited. Lunch was prepared, warming in the oven, or cooling in the fridge, and the cakes and pies were prepared and baked, and the respectable (and legal) real Christmas tree was already strung with colorful lights, just waiting for decorations, while nearby packages were hiding in his closet, not exactly stacked high, because money had run tight this year, but were special enough to make up for lack in number. Still, Danny felt a pang of sadness that he had not been able to get his kids more. There was the remote-controlled BB-8, which was for Grace, and he had managed to find a Honolulu police cruiser for Charlie, with siren and lights. (He had made one alteration to the cruiser: the siren had loudness settings for low, medium, and high, and he thought high would drive him insane, so he disabled that setting.) He also had extra batteries for both the BB-8 and the cruiser, plus some smaller gifts for his beloved Grace and Charlie.

He had bought Grace the beautiful red jersey with gold sequins Christmas maxi dress he had caught her admiring at the mall, and some police uniform and fireman pajamas for Charlie, with a uniformed plush bear to go with each. Now he could be a fireman one night, and a policeman the next! He had gotten everything on a half price special sale, and had taken Kono's advice on which accessories to get for Grace's dress. He loved watching her face light up when he pulled out that last little gift for her, the one she never expected, the one that was jewelry from her father. This time it was a necklace of real pearls, with a center heart pendant of pearls and a real diamond in the middle, with matching earrings. The diamonds were small and not the highest quality, but they flashed and sparkled, they were real, and they were given with love. To pay for all of it, even on sale, Danny would have to discreetly give up Malasadas and anything but home brewed coffee or tea, and bag his lunch until at least July, but anything was worth it to see the look on his children's faces when they opened their carefully wrapped gifts.

His thoughts were interrupted by the shock of realizing he had not gotten anything for Angel! She needed that bed with the fluffy pink cat-paws print, and a scratching post with a hammock half way up and a platform for birdwatching at the window, and a toy mouse with feathers for a tail and a jingle bell inside, and that braided yarn string on a stick, and the laser dot pointer, so she could chase that red dot all over the room! How had he forgotten those?

Angel was pawing at his nose, and he slowly pried his eyes open, and immediately the dream of happiness and contentment was replaced by colorful Christmas lights illuminating the box. "Oh," he muttered, aware sharply of how tired and cold he felt, aching in every part of his body - except his burned thumb was not nearly as angry. It apparently liked freezing. Danny estimated that the air around him was possibly only 60 degrees, which for Hawaii was arctic. He sat up and reached for his coverall, pulling it on awkwardly because he wanted to keep the blanket around him as much as he could. He wished he had socks, maybe even a jacket. From the feel of the cold, he half expected to see the mist of his breathe in the multi-colored air inside the box.

He watched Angel yawn, and naturally yawned in response. She purred and climbed up on him so she could rub her whole cheek on his beard stubble. "Let me give you a good petting, my little Angel. Thank you for waking me up." He remembered the dream. She would definitely get a perfect cat bed and scratching post / cat tree, and toys.

After petting Angel, and being thanked, she curled in his lap while he checked his knee. It was healing, showing no signs of infection. His nerves flared briefly as he took the bandage off his thumb. It did feel much better, now that the burning sensation was reduced almost to nothing. It was still quite painful, still looked like it was on the verge of infection, and from his aches Danny could not tell if he had a fever or not, until he realized he was hotter than Angel, and seemed to have even less energy.

He would allow an extra bottle of water for himself today. He estimated he was halfway through the link, so today he had a lot of sawing to do. He drank some water, checked Angel's water bowl, and got busy. The only concession was that he kept the blanket wrapped around him. Otherwise, it was Escape Plan A, Day 3.

(A/N: sorry this is so short, but I have to let you know I'm not giving up!)


	27. Chapter 27 Getting Attached

**Chapter 27** "Getting Attached"

 **A/N:** (23 November 2016) Thank you for all the lovely PMs and reviews, and know that I love you. You have been incredibly patient. I lost so much momentum that I had to take time to reread and dive back into not just the shallows. I'm back in the deep end now, and will be more frequent, Lead Pipes allowing. (Puts shield up to deflect all lead pipes incoming.)

For all Americans, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Everyone, may life be kind!

I do not own Five-0, CBS does. (And I adored the line or ad lib between Steve and Danny after Grace was rescued at the dance. Steve: "What, not even a hug?" Danny: "Hug, kiss, pick a base!" –seriously best line ever. Steve: "I'll take a hug.")

 **Chapter 27** "Getting Attached"

(Friday, 23 December 2016, 6:15 pm)

It had been drizzling steadily for hours, and in the dark following sunset Honolulu was bedazzled and beautiful with car, business, traffic and Christmas lights reflecting off the wet surfaces. Decorated trees – anything from palms to firs to Norfolk Island Pines to the usual tinsel or green fake trees were showing in windows, with strings of lights on balconies of high rise offices and apartment buildings. Music was festive, a mixture of carols played on ukulele or sung by carolers entertaining hotel patrons, lobbies lavishly decorated and doing a great business indoors since the weather made outdoor celebrating unappealing.

It was cold, and Chin had turned on the heater in his Mustang, because especially Steve was shivering from the chill in the air. They were heading back to the Iolani Palace and the Five-0 offices, to catch up on the latest information on the case of their missing friend. They had ordered a variety of food from Kamekona's Shrimp Stand, and would be there hopefully before he came by with the deliveries. Later on, they planned a long interview with Rachel, Danny's traitorous ex-wife. If she cooperated, they might even find Danny in time for him to spend it with his children and friends after he had been seen by Dr. Cornett and sparingly debriefed on what he could tell them had happened, and what they could tell him had happened that he had no knowledge about. The psychologist would guide them on what and when to tell Danny some of the more troublesome information.

Steve wanted to see Danny reunited with those he loved, just as soon as possible. He needed to see his partner and best friend alive and well, with his kids, smiling, feeling the love of his real family, his ohana, being back where he belonged, with people who loved him and would never hurt him.

"I'm glad Lou is going to apologize to Danny," said Steve, shoving his left pointer finger under the cast over his right knuckles, to scratch an itchy spot on his hand which he could just barely reach. "I wasn't sure he would agree to that. I think he's starting to finally stop treating Danny as a rival."

Chin guided the red car into the parking lot across from the Palace and slid it into his usual parking space. As he turned off the headlights and then the engine, he turned to Steve. His head was slightly tipped to one side as he remarked to his boss and friend, "I wonder why Danny kept things so much to himself where Lou was concerned? Even I wondered why he didn't make any fuss when Lou used to tease him harshly. I think that is partly why I didn't take Lou seriously with the snide remarks – Danny didn't seem to. He usually makes it clearly known if something has gotten under his skin."

Steve leaned his head back against the head rest and gazed at the raindrops now collecting on the windshield. Each drop was a flash of many colors, for the Palace and parking lot were decorated for the time of year. "I've been thinking about that," Steve finally responded. "And I plan to talk with him about this, when the time is right. I know he felt put down by Lou, but he already was taking a lot of teasing, and to let on that it bothered him would have in a way been giving Lou the victory by proving that Lou was right, that Danny was a complainer."

"And leaving him open to even more teasing," added Chin. His eyes were sad. "I know there were times I was uncomfortable with the teasing, even though sometimes I joined in with it. I feel worse now than I did before about not thinking more. Not being nicer. I think we'd all been together for such a long time that we were falling into taking one another for granted, and Danny was the easiest one to take for granted."

Steve spoke softly, almost expressionlessly. "I messed up. I didn't lead. He couldn't even come to me, his partner, and tell me the teasing and jibes were getting to him, because he knew I would have ignored what he said. I betrayed him every bit as much as Lou did. It must have torn him up inside, every day, for how long? Maybe even over a year. And yet he took it, because we all were showing every day that we expected him to, while we didn't stop Lou, and even joined in. He finally 'broke' in the hospital, after the liver donation."

Chin's voice was compassionate, but unbending. "We all failed Danny, Steve. It wasn't just you. But the damage did accumulate. After the plane crash, in May, the whole landing thing, you just arriving at Tripler, we not knowing just how bad you were hurt, but knowing it would take awhile to know, Danny just took off past us down the hall toward the exit, in his mind maybe not even sure we would follow him or not, intent on going after those drug smugglers who shot you…he didn't talk to us at all, just took off, and we did follow him. He was hurt, and didn't say anything about it, because he could tell you were the only one we were worrying about, and something then struck me, but I didn't have words for it then."

Steve turned his ocean green eyes toward Chin, finally really paying attention. "What struck you?"

"The task force was broken. If you didn't survive, the task force was broken."

"But you followed him. You followed your second in command."

Chin nodded. "Because he finally said he was going after the guys who hurt you. We were still thinking only about you, and Danny had the most information, and was the most worried, having watched you get shot and seen you lose consciousness in the plane. He felt the fear that we would lose you. He had to save you, Steve. If he didn't, the task force would fall to pieces. He knew."

Steve turned his eyes back to watching the raindrops grow and slide down the windshield. "In the hospital, it honestly didn't seem strange to me that I got the cards and balloons and flowers and stuff, while he didn't. I'd almost died, saved by that liver donation. I mean, yeah, I was drugged, and almost dying takes a lot of thinking to get one's mind around, and of course I was grateful for the liver donation, and everything Danny did, but I didn't pay attention to what he was going through. I should have thanked him immediately, told him how grateful I was. Instead, I waited until it was almost too late. I made it about me, not including him, when really it was all about what he did, for me, for the task force, for Hawaii. There he was, in the bed next to me, suffering because we were ignoring him when he needed some kind of recognition. And I was cruel enough to tell him his son would come to hate him, when I didn't mean a word of it, but it cut him so deeply … I'd been shot with bullets, and nearly bled out, and instead of thanking him for saving me, I shot him with words and watched his heart break and almost bleed out before I realized what I'd done. Words can be more damaging than bullets."

Chin, too, was watching the windshield 'cry' with the raindrops sliding. "That old saying, 'Actions speak louder than words,' and all our actions were speaking loud and clear, but only Danny was listening. I still feel intense guilt. If you, Steve, had not realized his pain in time, I'm not sure the rest of us would have."

Steve sighed. "That scared me so badly. I was terrified that we were too late. It was a close call. And now … I hope Danny realizes just how hard we are working to try to find him. If he gives up on us, believes he is in this alone, or that we aren't giving it our all, he may not have the strength to get through this. Especially since he is injured. At least, the doc and I believe he is. –I don't sense anything serious, but in his situation, small things will add up fast."

Chin frowned. "You and the doc think Danny is injured, not just starving?"

"Yeah." Steve shifted a little, pulling his chamois shirt closer around him. "It's hard to explain."

"You knew he was hungry before the video showed Stan admitting to spoiling all but one bit of the food."

In a very sober, worried voice, Steve said, "He's my partner, Chin. Some things I just know. And other things I can deduce easily. He's claustrophobic, and he's locked in a shipping container smaller than an 1-car garage, with Christmas lights and the word COFFIN painted on one wall, and – wait. I just realized something, Chin. Another clue we can be looking for." Steve sounded excited, and smiled a little for the first time in quite awhile.

"Yeah? So keep me in suspense!" complained Chin, picking up on the excitement. Anything that helped them find Danny was something he wanted to hear.

"Those Christmas lights! They have to be powered by something, and I didn't see any battery box. They must be solar powered! That means outside that container is a small solar panel. It's one more way we can find him! I doubt there are many abandoned containers with a solar panel mounted on the top."

.

H50 H50 H50

Kamekona arrived with the meals of mainly shrimp and rice, with tea and lemonade as the drinks. Steve and Chin had been in the office for less than five minutes before he was buzzed in, accompanied surprisingly by Dr. Cornett. Kamekona led the way to the Five-0 offices, as the doctor had never been there before. The big Hawaiian chef was talking to Dr. Cornett as they came down the hall. "You da man who saved my ohana's lives, Doc, so you take this dinner I was gonna have. It's good stuff, and lets me thank you in at least a small way for saving Steve and Danny. You come by my Shrimp stand, I never charge you. Your money no good there, that be my thanks for you. You ohana now. I throw in a free T-shirt, too. You a tall, good looking guy, you make a good advertisement for my stand!"

"Thank you," replied Dr. Cornett, his smile slightly embarrassed but no less grateful. "I'll make sure and bring my family by. My son and his family fly in tomorrow, and I'll bring the whole lot by. I've seen your stand many times, but never had the chance to stop."

Kamekona looked alarmed, but never lost his friendliness. "Hey, Doc, you eat free, but you gotta pay for all the other meals and shirts. I give you, hmmm, ten percent discount on the others, anybody you bring wit' you!"

While the members of Five-0 complained teasingly that they never got those discounts, Dr. Cornett caught Steve's eye and eased out into the hallway, holding his newly acquired free meal. Steve came discreetly.

"Sarah, my wife, took Grace back to the house after the appointment, and Becca is off in another hour. Um … I couldn't tell her about Danny, what Stan did. She is so worried about him already, and that is so personal, I just couldn't be the one to tell her. If Danny does … I mean, he should choose," said the doc.

"I totally understand. I was still processing what happened myself. Do you … I have a copy of the … what happened. You're his doctor, and might notice things an untrained eye might miss," said Steve, patting the doc on his sweatered arm. Everyone was dressed for the cold.

"Not my favorite part of my job, but I should see this."

Steve played the copy of the tape, and watched Dr. Cornett's jaw go rigid as he frowned. He watched silently, but his breathing roughened. "I hate that guy," he said afterwards, and rubbed his eyes, as if to erase the images. "I'm glad Becca didn't see that."

"Did you bring names of psychologists? Did you notice anything?"

"Yes, and yes." He reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out a list of names, two with stars by them. "I would call them first, but if they are booked, give any of the others a try. I've worked with all of them before, and know they are all good. As for what I noticed," Cornett continued, while Steve looked over the names briefly and then pocketed the list, "Danny is not going to be prepared for this weather. I saw only a blanket, and it's thin. That container is going to become a metal ice cube. He doesn't even have socks. We will be prepared for hypothermia if he is found soon. Also, I noticed what appear to be needle marks over his jugular vein and other places. We will run tests to make sure he didn't pick up any illness from those needles, since I doubt the areas or the needles were sterilized. I saw no bruising indicating physical assault, but we will run the most comprehensive screens we can, once you get Danny back, because there is a lot we can't see that, well, we will have to check on."

"Are the labs back from the frozen blood?" Steve asked, nodding.

Cornett nodded. "Some. It's Danny's blood, and right now is testing negative for anything worrisome. But the Rohypnol test has not had time to complete. What I am most concerned about is the cleanliness of those needles. If he has contracted any of the Hepatitis forms from those, we have to act assertively, because his liver is not up to battling that kind of infection so soon after the liver donation. It is too soon for the screening tests to pick up on any newly contracted hepatitis infection."

"What about HIV?" asked Steve very quietly.

Dr. Cornett's eyes darkened. "We will be monitoring Danny for at least 18 months after he is found. But since I don't think Stan thought he would live beyond a few weeks at most, I doubt if that will be a concern."

"Tetanus?"

"Danny is up to date on his vaccinations. What we can't predict is any bacterial or viral infections he could contract while he is captive. That shipping container did not look filthy, but it didn't look clean, either. Steve, he is not in a healthy place. The air can't circulate, and we can only hope Stan didn't contaminate the water. If he did, Danny would be feeling more ill every day now."

Steve rubbed his own eyes. "Doc, I'm freezing. I don't have a fever, but I'm shivering, have been since it got cold. I'm aching all over."

"It could be worry, fatigue, the accident, the weather. Or it could be you are picking up on your partner's problems. Or both. Just find him, and when you do, make sure I'm on the medical team that is with you."

Steve smiled wanly, but warmly. "You got attached."

"I did," confirmed Dr. Cornett. He pulled in a long breath which he let out slowly. "Will you come by the house to see Grace and Charlie later?"

"Yeah. Now I'm going to eat, and you should too, and then I go interrogate Rachel. I need to talk to her before I talk to Stan. I'll call when I'm on my way. Please give the kids my love, and thanks for watching over them."

Cornett smiled, and his eyes were bright blue. "We all got attached." The smile faded slowly. "We don't know what to do about Christmas now."

Steve nodded. "We don't either. If Rachel doesn't cooperate …." He shook his head. "And if Stan doesn't …."

"You will find Danny as soon as you can." Cornett held up the bagged shrimp and rice meal. "Please thank Kamekona again for me. And go eat. Then go find Danny."


	28. Chapter 28 Rachel's Interrogation

**Chapter 28** "Rachel's Interrogation"

 **A/N:** (29 November 2016) Once more I have to thank all who reviewed, read, followed and/or favorited this story! I really do appreciate your real kindness and caring about this story.

This was such an important chapter, it took a bit of extra research. It also took a little longer to write, which was partly because Thanksgiving turned into a nice little vacation for my de-gall-bladdered sister, so we used the holiday to play, since she is feeling better and thanks all of you who prayed and wished her well. She's back to normal now!

I'm hoping to finish this story by the start of the new year, so obviously you will be getting chapters at a quicker pace. :-D And of course there is another story waiting to be written when this one is finished. Five-0 is fun to write for!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 28** "Rachel's Interrogation"

(Friday, 23 December 2016, 8pm)

Danny paused in his nearly non-stop sawing of the chain back and forth on the metal plate. He felt very ill, shivering and aching in the way one does when feverish. His appetite had vanished, which meant for the first time since being locked inside the box, he was not starving. He had eaten his tiny 'spoonful' of peanut butter, and had almost given it right back, but thankfully it had stayed down, and his nausea was not the kind that made him feel like any second he would have to run for the latrine hole. Except for that brief and worrisome ten minutes just after the peanut butter, he merely felt sick, not like he was actually going to be sick. He had to force himself to keep drinking water.

Danny's knee was sore, and his thumb ached sharply, and was swollen. It no longer felt like it was still 'burning', but the burn was far from healed. The gash was not bleeding anymore. Instead, his makeshift bandage had to be changed because there was a small discharge of yellow pus where the scab should be forming. It was definitely infected. His head ached too, his stomach was touchy, and he was doing his best to keep his bare feet on the blanket, for he really was surrounded by cold walls and air. Hawaii was hardly ever this cold. When one is used to temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s, with nights in the 70s, and lots of sunshine, gray days of rain in the 60s felt like snowstorms in New Jersey, without the snow. Danny's body had transitioned to what was normal in Hawaii. He wanted thick socks and a jacket with a hood, not a thin coverall and a blanket not much warmer than a bedsheet.

Between all his physical discomforts was the stress of the past few days, the worry, the sleep deprivation from short sleep times and his schedule having been flipped upside down, so day was night and night was day, even if physically there was no sunlight to see at all, no clocks but what he could discern from how long the lights lasted and when the Christmas lights came on at dusk.

All Danny wanted to do was curl into a ball and maximize the coverage of the blanket. Angel was doing her best to warm him, but she was very small, and Danny was trying to make sure she got her share of the blanket too. It was cold for both of them. It had not been that long since the 'day' had begun – which acutely reminded Danny that it was now night outside, and the air would only get colder for several more hours – and already he was struggling to stay awake. The sawing of the chain was force of will, yet that will was unable to muster as much strength as the day before. His illness and exhaustion had severely depleted his strength.

The sawing could not produce enough heat to warm the box perceptibly, but the link still heated up enough that he had to pause and let it cool. The air did the cooling, and he would actually hunch over the heated link, to benefit from the small oval of metal. It was a little like trying to use a match as a heat source.

But now, Danny knew he had to take more of a break than he wanted to. He needed to rest, and wrap in the blanket, and just close his eyes for a few minutes, until the link cooled. So he laid down, Angel cuddled to his chest inside the coverall, and pulled the blanket around them both. Not even a minute later, he had fallen into the sleep of the exhausted and sick. The colorful lights of Christmas shone down on a scene that was anything but happy.

H50 H50 H50

Steve rubbed his eyes with his left hand as he waited for Rachel Edwards to be brought to an interrogation room at the women's jail where she was being held until she was moved to the facility that would be her home until her trial, or sentencing if she waived a trial. He had changed into a lined shirt jacket to replace the single layer chamois he had been wearing over his cotton cargo-shirt. He felt warmer now, but he could not shake the inner chill and aches he had been feeling since the weather changed and the temperatures dropped into the low 60s, with drizzle and horizon-to-horizon gray clouds, which were expected to last another 24 hours before breaking into more seasonable temperatures late on Christmas Eve. Steve could not stop thinking how the cold had to be affecting Danny, who was not dressed for it, nor able to find enough warmth in the thin blanket Stan had left for him.

He tried not to even think that the person next on his list to interview after Rachel was the man who had caused so much grief when he tried to murder Danny. Steve had not forgotten the others Stan had murdered, nor that he had only failed to murder Steve because he had been thrown from Danny's car just before it plunged over a high, steep embankment, and burst into flames when it landed below.

Chin was with him again, and he sat in the chair near the door, while Steve was in an uncomfortable chair in front of the table, behind which Rachel would sit in an equally uncomfortable chair while her right wrist was cuffed to the bar on the table, which was bolted to the cement floor. There were no frills here. One side wall was a large mirror from this side, but was in fact two-way glass, so others could watch the interrogation from the room behind the glass. Kono and Abby were in that room, also wearing heavier jackets than before. There was a camera and microphones so they could hear everything as it was being recorded. Chin had placed his phone on the table, and would be recording everything in audio and video.

Steve would have liked to talk to Rachel Edwards at least once in the blue room, but at this late an hour, it was better to keep her in the jail, and use one of the regular interrogation rooms.

Steve turned to glance back at Chin and also at the mirror when they heard awkward footsteps approaching. Rachel was being spared nothing; her ankles were cuffed, as well as her wrists. Both men rose and stood aside as Rachel and the matron guard entered the room. Rachel blushed immediately, and at the urging of the matron, whose hand was on her upper right arm, she shuffled in her black rubber slippers and white socks over to the chair behind the table. There was a pause while the matron locked the ankle chain to the lower crossbar of the chair, and her hands were cuffed to the table's bar.

The matron left the room when Steve nodded to her, knowing she would wait in the room with Kono and Abby. They would probably all have coffee or tea, and Steve wished he could have a hot coffee, something full of caffeine to keep him awake once the interview ended.

He reached over and turned on the recording/video app on Chin's phone.

Rachel, her pregnancy now in the middle of the fourth month, was clearly subdued and embarrassed, not looking at either Steve or Chin but for the briefest possible glance.

"You don't look so good," Steve finally remarked, his voice professionally neutral as he continued to stand, a subtle interrogation technique to remind Rachel who was entirely in charge.

Rachel's brown eyes flicked upwards, and her temper flared before going out like a match that had failed. "I do apologize," she said in her soft British accent. "The maternity wardrobe in this place is as unpalatable as the food, and it is impossible to look one's best when even the shampoo is unpleasant, and smells vaguely of industrial cleaner. At least I am allowed my pre-natal vitamins."

"The shampoo here is odorless dish soap," Steve commented. "And let me guess," he continued, noticing the cheap gray pants, the even cheaper dark blue scrub-like shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. "Dinner was chicken."

"Was it?" Rachel replied wryly. "It was so hard to tell what it was. It tasted like cardboard."

"Get used to it."

Rachel flinched slightly, and sighed. "I know, Commander. I suppose I have lost any right to call you Steve. I have been 'a very bad girl', and now comes the payment. I wondered why it has taken you so long to get around to interrogating me. So I suppose Stan is blaming all of this on me?"

"Commander is fine," intoned Steve flatly. "And we haven't interviewed Stan yet."

This startled Rachel, and her posture, which had been lax for her, straightened. "Whyever not? He did everything."

"Did he?" asked Steve, and his voice had hardened just a bit, like a blade that had been run over a whetstone only a couple of soft strokes. "Mrs. Edwards, this is your chance to tell us everything you know, and I do mean everything. Because we know a lot at this point, and if you lie to us, believe me, things in here can get a lot worse than they currently are. Some of the cells here are very very small, and the mattress is more like a folded blanket on the floor, and the inmate uniform is made of mismatched blaze orange and black horizontal stripes, and there is no heater or air conditioner."

"My, that does sound unpleasant. My cell now is not dissimilar to what you describe, but I should not complain. While my mattress is on the floor, and only 3 inches thick if I am generous, it is at least not in a cell with other inmates." She paused, and finally asked, carefully, "What will happen to my baby?"

Steve was honest. "There is an infirmary here, fully staffed. If there are any complications with the birthing process, you will be transferred to Queens Hospital. Once you have the baby, you will be allowed to see it, but then it will be taken from you and placed immediately in foster care, where it will stay until you and Stan make arrangements for other family members to care for it. You might want to begin making those arrangements now, so everything is in place when you do give birth."

"Will Stan be allowed to be with me?"

"No. He will receive a photograph of the baby, and you will too, to keep after you are back in your cell."

Rachel sighed again. "A photograph. I am not at all surprised." She had noticed the strokes of the whetstone on Steve's voice. "So, what do I know? Danny is dead, Stan killed him and dumped his body at sea, where sharks were feeding, and the clothes and hair were going to be put in the current near one of the smaller beaches today, in fact, after being soaked in the blood, so they could wash up and be found in another day, and with any luck we would have been able to put on a convincing, heartbroken act, and in due time receive official permission to move to Dubai, no longer stuck here because of Danny's parental visitation stipulation that we cannot move from Hawaii."

Steve and Chin both hid their shock at this new information, but Chin was keeping notes, looking impassive as he did it. They would find out how Abby and Kono reacted when they met up after the interrogation of Rachel.

"Go on," intoned Steve.

"Is there a reason I don't get to do this with my lawyer present?" asked Rachel, quietly.

"Five-0 can question you without your lawyer present."

"I am so lucky. Well, let's see. Stan thought you would be able to figure all this out, so he wanted to kill you too. Obviously, he bungled that. We both thought that if you and Danny were both dead, Five-0 would be sent into chaos, and the investigation would pass us by as suspects entirely. Even with you still alive, we never thought you would suspect us. Oh well. Stan also killed that disgusting homeless man who was helping him. At least, Stan told me he got him to fall off the helicopter, out in the middle of nowhere so he would not be found. Let's see, the man, Jason Black, who stood in for Stan on the business trip to Singapore was paid quite a lot, and he's now in Dubai at the firm Stan was going to join once we could move from the islands. He was to provide Stan with an alibi while he killed you and Danny, and my job was to get you and Danny out of the house so Stan could use Grace's key – which we duplicated without her knowing - to get inside the back door of Danny's house so he could drug your tea and then hide, while you were talking to me at my car. Then I would meet Jason at the airport, put on a good show for the security cameras, and then meet up with Stan at a diner after he had taken care of you and Danny. I never saw Danny after leaving his house, before I went to the airport. That's the gist of it."

"Was the homeless man with Stan when he entered Danny's house?"

"No. Stan said he told him to hide in the bushes near where he'd parked his car – Stan's car – and he would call him and let him in once you were both drugged."

Steve was digesting all the news quietly, while acting inscrutable. He suddenly asked, "Do you have a neighbor whose cat had kittens about eight weeks ago?"

Rachel looked puzzled. "Yes. Almost nine weeks now. Five kittens. What does that have to do with anything?"

Steve switched direction again. "How did Stan get the Rohypnol?"

"Oh." Rachel thought for a moment. "He has a disguise, and he said he bought it on the street. I don't know from whom – I never asked."

"Why did he shave Danny's head?"

Rachel shrugged. "That was my idea. Danny was so vain about his hair, and it seemed like it would be good to add to the clothes and blood, since the sharks would, you know, not leave anything else. Stan wanted to rip off some scalp too, since Danny wouldn't feel it, but we thought that would be too messy, so he just shaved his head."

Steve nodded. His gut was churning, but he did not show it. He glanced back at Chin, still expressionless as he took his notes, then turned back to Rachel.

"And the reason for destroying Danny's house was….?"

"Oh. That." Rachel sounded almost bored. "Stan hoped it would destroy any evidence he might have left behind when he drugged you and Danny. Besides, he was very angry after you came to the house to inform us Danny was missing, but not believed dead, and you clearly weren't. That gave us some very bad moments."

Steve stifled his reactions, as did Chin. He was fuming, and horrified, but this was not his first interrogation; he would react later. "So Stan bought the linseed oil where? Which store?"

"Seriously, Commander, he didn't tell me and I didn't ask. I didn't care. I was beginning to worry we might be caught, and with my pregnancy, I wanted to minimize my stress as much as possible."

Steve nodded. "I guess it is stressful to have to go through the motions of not letting on that you are an accomplice in the murder of the father of your two other children, and the attempted murder of me, and the homeless man who helped your husband."

Rachel met Steve's gaze, chocolate brown locked onto sea green that had darkened almost to a deep stormy water color. "I know you are unsympathetic, Commander, but it was stressful, and I have to think of my baby."

"I notice that you have not asked at all after Grace and Charlie."

She looked quickly down at her handcuffed wrists. "Well, I am upset with Grace, if you want to know. She betrayed her mother and father, and her unborn baby brother. But, of course I am concerned about them. How are they?"

"Oh, so you are having another boy. Stan finally gets an heir. How nice," Steve commented flatly. Then the whetstone sharpened his voice even more than before. "They are both staying with good friends of mine. Charlie doesn't really understand what is happening, but thinks it a great adventure right now. Gracie is angry and upset with her mother, and now hates her step-father. She remains very loyal to her father."

"Danny is dead. Stan is her father now."

Steve finally leaned on the tabletop with his uncasted arm. "Stan never was allowed to legally adopt Grace, or Charlie, so he is father to neither of them. He is only your husband, and Danny … is not dead." He rushed on, his voice frozen. "But let me tell you who is. Let's see. There is Neil Lane, the roofer Stan hated because he looked too much like Danny. He was murdered, and was put in Danny's car with me, and his body was burned beyond recognition, while Danny's police shield was left in the car. Max Bergman determined the passenger seat had been doused in gas, so it would burn the body and make it very difficult to identify. But we had DNA. And it did not belong to Danny, nor did the remains carry any of Danny's scars. And there was the presence of a gall bladder, which Danny does not have since the liver transplant. It is amazing how clumsy Stan was in what he did. We found out about the roofer, and his wife is grieving him very deeply. Then there is Jason Black, the guy who stood in for Stan on that trip. He has been reported missing and is presumed dead, though we have only circumstantial evidence. We can go into that later, but he is probably the one fed to the sharks. Let's see, oh yes, the homeless man, who has a name: Mo Morris. He is clinging barely to life in the hospital, and did indeed fall from the chopper, pretty much landing on his head, but we did find his phone. He recorded video of Stan leaving Danny in a small shipping container, and filling the padlocks on the door with superglue. He admitted to spoiling almost all of the food in the container, so Danny would starve over time, and die an agonizing, slow death. But he did leave him with a string of Christmas lights, and a little kitten from the neighbor's litter."

"But Danny hates cats!" Rachel said, shocked.

"That is what startles you the most about this scenario?" Steve frowned, disgusted.

"I think you are lying to me, Commander." Rachel's voice was angry.

Steve pulled out the phone, and very selectively showed her stills from the scene, playing only the dialogue of Stan bragging about having spoiled most of the food. "I am not lying, Mrs. Edwards. Your husband planned very carefully for Danny to die in agony, over a period of time. With a kitten for company."

"I – I did not know any of this!" There was a horror and sincerity in Rachel's voice that was believable. "He told me he fed Danny, unconscious from that drug, to the sharks, and that he would never feel a thing! I would not have been okay with Stan torturing Danny the way you say he is being tortured. I mean, his claustrophobia in that small space! -If he is alive, you have to get him out of there! And the poor little kitten!"

"Does Stan own a shipping container anywhere on this island, or any of the other Hawaiian Islands?" Steve's voice was the sharpest knife.

Rachel was upset and very flustered. "Um … not that I know of, but obviously he kept several secrets from me. Very obviously. I don't know, he might, but I swear I would not know where."

"Projects his company abandoned? Anything like that?"

"I'm terribly sorry." Rachel's voice was shaking, and she was fighting tears. "I wish I knew, I mean that! I would tell you if I knew! You will have to ask Stan."

"We will, Mrs. Edwards. We will. Thank you for cooperating. If we have any more questions, we will see you again." Steve signaled to the mirror for the matron to retrieve her charge. She entered the room only seconds later. "Return Mrs. Edwards to her cell."

Rachel said softly, "I am sorry for what I did. Find Danny. Please find him, Commander."

"We will, Mrs. Edwards. Searchers are already looking for that shipping container."

Rachel paused. She looked Steve in the eyes, and she sounded alone and frightened. "I can't stay married to a man who would do that. I have to divorce Stan."

Steve's voice was like ice. "You were okay staying with Stan after he murdered people, so long as he did it quickly and painlessly, so you could live a nice life of luxury in Dubai. Has much really changed?"

Rachel looked away. "When can I see my children?"

"After we find Danny. And then, no promises. Grace is old enough to refuse visiting you, and Charlie is too young to do so without his _father's_ permission."

As the matron led Rachel from the room, Steve turned off the recording feature on Chin's phone.

 **A/N:** Obviously, things got brought up here which will need some explanation, but they will be part of Stan's interrogation.


	29. Chapter 29 Danny's Decline

**Chapter 29** "Danny's Decline"

 **A/N:** (date) Thank you for the warm reception of Ch. 28, featuring Danny's decline and Rachel's bizarre interrogation. I really appreciate all the reviews, and here is the next installment. You are really kind to read, follow, and even favorite the story; I know I lost one reader with the last chapter, and think I know who, and am sad about that. I keep track of the story stats, and am especially sad to have lost the one I did, and yet very grateful for the two new readers who put the story on follow!

Something I really want to make clear, because it is so easy to forget when writing and reading any story, is that this is all AU. Obviously, I am a Danny / Scott Caan girl, with his brotherly friendship with Steve / Alex a huge favorite, and Chin, Kono, Lou following. I really love the whole cast! In this story, Lou isn't shining too bright with Danny and the others, but who is to say it will remain that way? Over time, things may mend or not. We'll see. But I like Lou, and I like Chi. And I really like Rachel. One story I thought about writing had them getting back together. But this story required her and Stan (Do we even know if they are still married on the show?) to be baddies, and so that is how it is going.

It's all AU, so doesn't reflect how I personally feel about the actual show characters. I like them! I really do!

I also entirely underestimated the difficulty of having two stories moving in tandem, so there is this separation of characters. Danny is in the box, for now, and everyone else is not. When the story allows them to reunite, believe me, this writer is going to celebrate!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0. I only own the original characters involved in this story, and I sortof feel like Cornett and family (definitely family) are mine, since the Dr. * _could_ * have been used in other episodes, but wasn't except for two. So, I have adopted him.

 **Chapter 29** "Danny's Decline"

(Friday, 23 December 2016, 9:30 p.m.)

"Oh my God," wheezed Steve as he handed Chin the phone on which they had just recorded Rachel's almost schizophrenic interrogation. "Is your mind blown?" he asked his Korean/Japanese friend and co-worker. "I know my stomach is."

Chin, usually not one to react with undue intensity, stood from his chair and just held his phone. His face was green. "Excuse me," he said quickly, and fled the room.

Steve almost followed him, but since it would have been for the same reason, and the bathroom was for one person, two men would have been one too many to fit as they upchucked over the toilet. Steve made due with a corner of the room, and afterwards went to stand out in the hall, still feeling vestiges of queasiness. Kono and Abby joined him, each looking sick. Chin joined them, and one by one they used the bathroom to rinse out their mouths and wash their hands and faces.

Abby, standing beside Chin, commented, "Rachel gave us all mind poisoning. Wow. Can we go outside and get some fresh air?"

The dissection of the interrogation continued outside in the parking lot, each member of Five-0 taking deep breaths of brisk, rainy air around Steve's Silverado, in which they had all ridden over, driven by Chin.

"Stan wanted to rip off some scalp?" Steve was horrified. "And can we order a psyche review for Rachel? Now that she wants to divorce Stan, you know she's going to set her sights on Danny again."

"He would never take her back." Kono spoke with assurance. "All we have to do is play that tape for him, and hand him a bucket."

"All this, because they wanted to move to Dubai." Steve shook his head, and felt wobbly. He climbed in the truck, and the other three followed, taking their places, but rolling the windows down enough to keep the air fresh. "That must be some fat job offer, because Stan has had to pass up a couple of promotions that would have required moving. I guess this Dubai one must have come with enough of a raise to really make it worth this, to them."

Chin, sitting behind the wheel, with Abby in the passenger seat, finally found his voice post his digestive eruption. "You know Stan isn't going to tell us anything, especially since Rachel didn't know the important stuff. If we could beat the crap out of him, I'm sure we could get him to cave in three punches, since he doesn't strike me as the physically brave type. But since we can't go caveman on him, and he knows it, he will just smirk at us and taunt us with what he isn't going to tell us."

Kono, sitting with Steve in the rear seats, almost growled her frustration. "I would so love to be able to go caveman on Stan. Because you know he _would_ talk then. He's the worst kind of physical coward."

Steve was deep in thought, and his expression one of intense concentration. Chin, followed by the others, finally noticed. "What are you thinking, Steve? You have a look in your eyes."

Steve finally answered, without looking up from his focus on whatever he was swirling around in his mind. "I do have an idea. –And I think it might work. Let's go back to headquarters and talk it out, because it may be risky."

Chin drove them back to Five-0 headquarters, where they spent hours working out Steve's plan. Several phone calls were made. They didn't even notice when it turned Christmas Eve, but around 2 a.m. Chin drove to an all-night diner and brought them all back some chicken soup. They kept discussing Steve's plan as they ate, and for a couple more hours afterwards.

"Okay," said Steve, finally. "I think we are about as prepared as we can be, so let's all grab a few hours of sleep. I'm going to just sleep in my office."

"Sounds good," yawned Kono, and wandered away to her own office, where they saw her pull out her phone and make a call. Lip reading, they watched her say Adam's name.

Abby followed Chin into his office, and they snuggled together on his couch, asleep after giving each other a goodnight (nap?) kiss.

H50 H50 H50

(Saturday, 24 December, Christmas Eve, 4 a.m.)

Danny felt Angel's paws on his face, heard her frantic meows. He woke to utter darkness, and even in his depleted, sickened state, he instantly panicked. "No no no," he wheezed in a thin voice, realizing vaguely that his breathing was shallow, and it hurt. "I wasn't supposed to fall asleep. I can't see anything!" He felt disoriented by more than the cold darkness. His fever had risen.

Angel keep using one paw to keep him aware of where she was, and he finally realized she had brought one of the glow sticks over and somehow pushed it into his hand. He cracked it and shook it, with hands that were unsteady, and his body was now alternating between periods of intense shivering and quiet.

As the white light brightened the interior of the box, Angel leaped into his arms and burrowed against him. She was meowing and head butting his hand, until he petted her. She looked into his eyes, and then looked away very briefly at her food plate, as if trying to apologize.

Danny was trying to force himself to breathe more deeply, but it was as if his lungs filled to capacity too soon. That set off more alarm bells, but he did notice Angel's eyes flick to her plate. "Oh no, Baby Girl, I forgot to feed you. I'm s-sorry."

He couldn't stand, so he crawled, clutching the light stick, over to the pantry and opened another packet of kitten food, and poured the moist bite-sized pieces onto the plate, and then carefully filled her water bowl, then his own water bottle. Doing that little bit had exhausted him.

His hand hurt, and he glanced at his thumb, horrified in the detached way of the truly sick that about an inch of one vein in his thumb, below the bandage, had turned reddish. He knew that wasn't a good thing. He knew he had pneumonia, too.

He petted Angel as she ate with what seemed like feline apology, sorry to be hungry when her human was feeling so wretched. Danny told her it was okay, then curled up on the floor by the pantry, the blanket wrapped around him, waiting for Angel to finish. He was fighting to stay awake by the time she had eaten her last morsel, and only lightly felt her push inside his coverall against his chest, and purr comfortingly. When Danny fell asleep again, she stayed with him, and while Danny did not realize it, she never left him.

.

 **A/N:** I know this is really short, but the next one will be really long.


	30. Chapter 30 Stan's Turn

**Chapter 30** "Stan's Turn"

 **A/N:** (5 December 2016) Omigosh, your comments on chapter 29 were awesome and warmed my heart! You are the best people, the kindest people! So I made haste to give you the next installment, which got tweaked to absolute death, because there were just so many ways it could go, and it was literally a matter of choosing the most, uh, hopefully satisfying course.

This is for all of you, with my thanks for all you have given back to a writer who wants to please you and do right by this story.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 30** "Stan's Turn"

(Saturday, 24 December 2016, 8 a.m.)

Steve had been awake, most of the 4 hours he had spent resting on his office couch, using a finely crocheted, every-shade-of-blue afghan as a blanket. It had been made by his Aunt Deb as a wedding gift to his parents years ago, so was almost a family heirloom. He kept it in a brightly pattered tote behind the couch, to be brought out for just such times as he found himself in – needing to rest in his office instead of going home to get a very abbreviated night's sleep. It comforted him to have something from home and family when he couldn't make it home to rest.

He was worried. It had taken him awhile to notice, but he was getting nothing from Danny, and hadn't since sometime the day before. He wasn't starving anymore. There was this void, and in a moment of complete honesty, he admitted to himself that it scared him to death. Immediately after thinking it, he rejected everything about his choice of words. "Come on, Buddy. Hold on. You gotta hold on. We're gonna find you, Babe, I swear we are. You gotta hold on."

It was hard to think about plans and sneaky ways to try to get Stan to talk, but they had decided on the best way to interrogate Stan Edwards. It was all they had, since Dr. Cornett had called Steve around 5 a.m. to tell him Mo Morris had suffered another severe brain hemorrhage and had passed away during surgery minutes earlier. There was nothing he would be able to tell them about what had happened to him. Add another death to Stan's long list.

Steve thanked the doc for letting him know, and offered his sincere condolences, because they had come to care in an odd way for Mo, who had stopped Stan from doing even worse to Danny than Stan had done. He had helped their friend. Steve then admitted his fear that Danny was worse, since it was as if their emotional / intuitive connection with one another had been severed. "I don't think he's dead, but something has changed. He's sick. I think he may be unconscious."

Danny's doctor had been silent for several seconds. "He may be sleeping very deeply. Or … you may be right. You question Stan Edwards at 8?" asked Cornett.

"Yup."

"We will be ready with a full team, hoping for the best. You'll find him, one way or another, and we will all take our best care of him. Whatever his condition, we will do everything humanly possible. I will be on stand-by all day if necessary, so I can be on the medevac that will be in the air minutes after you tell us where to fly. Now rest," ordered the doc, gently, his compassion on full display. "Get at least another hour, and try not to worry. Danny could just be sleeping. Grace has not spoken up about any fears, and I'm pretty sure she would."

"When do you pick up your son and his family at the airport?" asked Steve, remembering that it was Christmas Eve, and was supposed to be a day off for Dr. Cornett.

"Later this afternoon."

"Then you need to get some rest, too, Doc. But we will let you know what happens with the interrogation, and if Stan gives us anything that will lead us to Danny, we will definitely let you know. He will need you." Steve paused, and tried to be of comfort. "I am deeply sorry about Mo."

"Me too. I'll try to take a nap. You do the same." The doc ended the call.

'Rest in peace, Mo,' thought Steve, feeling a level of grief for this stranger who had helped his partner, and he knew he would see to it that Mo would be remembered, and buried with friends to bid him farewell, even if he did not know those friends.

The office came alive sometime after 6, when the members of Five-0 yawned and stretched their tense, weary muscles and used the locker rooms to shower, change, and prepare for the day. Steve spread the word about Mo's death, and quiet descended as they waited to hear that Stan had been taken to the room where Steve had decided to interrogate him. It was at Halawa, the prison where Stan would live the rest of his life once he was sentenced, and where he was awaiting either his trial or sentencing, whichever way he forced the situation to go. Steve wanted him kept from the rest of the population, and that included the usual room where inmates were questioned. His would be a secluded one not far from the staff parking lot and main gates. He would have to walk a long way in his cuffs to get to that dingy room from his isolated prison cell.

Breakfast was vending machine energy bars and strong coffee. Conversation did not extend beyond remarking that it was Christmas Eve. "It has never felt less like it," sighed Abby, and Kono agreed. It was Steve who said, "But it is Christmas Eve, a day to be spent with family, with ohana. And that is how we are going to spend it. We may not have Danny in our midst, yet, but he is certainly in our hearts."

"Hear, hear," responded Chin, before the silence once again enwrapped them all. The difference was that each felt closer to their friends, more united than before. They were more than the Five-0 Task Force, missing one. They were ohana.

Steve fielded several calls, and search teams were once again combing the island, looking for a shipping container with a small solar panel and probably an air pipe on top. One chopper would swing by to pick them up and fly them all to Halawa Correctional Facility, since it would be faster and would avoid the holiday traffic. Time, Steve felt, was very short. They had called ahead to make sure that the helipad closest to staff parking was ready for them.

The day was as cold, gray and rainy as the day before, but this time everyone had dressed for it, their jackets feeling bulky in the unseasonal weather.

Each of the members of Five-0 was armed with their handgun, as a precaution. "Ammo check," said Steve in a subdued, but commanding voice. Chin, Abby, and Kono all checked for the third or fourth time that they were good to go. They heard the chopper land in the parking lot across from the park-like Iolani Palace grounds. "Are we ready to do this?" asked Steve, and looked each of his team members in their eyes. One by one they nodded, faces grave.

"Then let's do this. We have to play nice, but we must make him talk, so be on your toes. He drops the slightest clue, we pounce."

"We're ready," stated Chin, steeled and prepared. Kono and Abby echoed his statement.

H50 H50 H50

At 7:45 a.m. precisely, they landed and climbed out of the chopper. The pilot stayed with the craft, since this could be a long or very short interrogation.

Steve looked around the lot, where two guards had come to escort them to the waiting room. A driver had just climbed out of his maintenance truck, shielding his eyes from the dust kicked up from the slowing rotors as he checked his tool belt. Another guard hurried him past them and into the same doors they would enter through in a few minutes.

It was a solemn, quiet group that was checked by the guards, and escorted in. "Is Stan on the way? Is the room even ready for him?" asked Steve, his voice peeved and tense as he stood outside, having looked in through the door's narrow window to see the workman using a battery powered screw driver on the lower part of the bar to which Stan's wrists would be cuffed. The guard with the workman gave them the thumbs up signal, and escorted the man back out. He passed Stan, being led down the hall by two more guards.

Stan's jumpsuit was gray. "Why isn't he in blaze orange?" barked Steve, his voice carrying down the tunnel-like corridor. Chin quieted him. "Calm down, Steve. It doesn't matter what color his jumpsuit is." Stan smiled at Steve as he shuffled serenely into the room, as if his sole intention in smiling was to annoy his obviously agitated interrogator.

As the door was opened for Stan, the guard in charge of Steve and his group whispered to Steve that the bar on the wall was no longer loose. Steve glanced at Stan, who didn't react as if he had overheard this lapse, and rolled his eyes at the guard. "Good. We saw the workman arrive just after we choppered in. That's cutting things a bit fine, don't you think?" Kono and Abby exchanged quietly worried looks, hoping Stan had not heard Steve's acidic comment.

"It was, but he got stuck in traffic," scowled the guard, trying to remain civil, even as Stan was now out of earshot. "Everything is ready now, Sir. The prisoner has been secured."

Steve sighed and nodded. "Okay, I understand. I just don't want anything to go wrong." He turned to Chin. "I'm tense. I should not have had an energy bar and coffee."

"We can do this later. A few hours won't make much difference. We should talk to Stan when you're more collected."

Steve stared down at his camo-booted feet, hitched his sling so it felt more comfortable on his cast. "No. No, let's do this now. I promise to calm down. I know how much is riding on this." He turned to Kono and Abby. "Ladies, the room next door awaits you. Let's get this started. Stay sharp, everyone."

"And calm," whispered Kono before following Abby into the observation room, her laptop tucked under her arm.

H50 H50 H50

Steve stood six feet from Stan, staring silently at the smugly relaxed man sitting in the metal chair, his hands cuffed together behind his back, secured to the bar on the wall, each ankle cuffed to a chair leg. Chin stood to one side, in Stan's line of vision but closer to the door.

Steve and Stan were engaged in what for all the world seemed like a staring match or game of chicken. Since it was apparent that the retired Navy SEAL would not budge, Stan finally broke the lengthening silence.

"I thought you had forgotten about me," he quipped. "But where are my manners? Happy Christmas Eve, Steve, Chin." He turned to the two-way mirror and added, "And ladies."

Steve's manner had changed to what his co-workers recognized as super focused, entirely purposeful. "You can call me Commander, and my colleague will be addressed as Detective. Is that understood, Stan?"

"I had no idea Chin had the same rank as Danny. Guess I never thought to ask anyone about that," replied Stan, still smirking annoyingly. "I'll call you both whatever I want, since there isn't anything you can _legally_ do to me but talk, talk, talk."

"Have you even wondered why you are in this room, instead of the more usual interrogation rooms?" asked Steve, standing like a statue, and showing about as much emotion.

"Not really."

"We have a lot more privacy here. And we've sent the guards away."

"Oh goody! This prison is so overcrowded, a little privacy is a good thing," smiled Stan.

"Not necessarily in your case." Steve moved a pace closer. "The thinnest sliver of wood or metal shoved under a fingernail causes excruciating pain," he said, as if making conversation. "It's even worse under a toenail." He nodded to Chin, who pulled out a wooden match and a penknife from one of his pockets. He shaved off a sliver from the match, which he handed to Steve before putting the knife and match back in his pocket.

"Oh, scary." Stan shivered, mockingly. "Remember that I said ' _legally_ ' before. That little sliver would be best used to pick your teeth."

Steve turned to Chin. "Do my teeth need picking?" he asked, and Chin shook his head. "Brushed and flossed, Boss."

"I did," said Steve, and turned back to Stan. He moved forward suddenly and went down on one knee, using his good hand to yank off Stan's slipper and sock. "Which toe do you think, Chin?"

Stan was finally looking alarmed. "Hey hey hey!" he stammered. "You can't do that!"

"We can," informed Steve. "We're Five-0."

"Personally," answered Chin, "I would go for the big one, but take your pick. I can make more slivers, if you need them. Why don't I just carve some more, and hand them to you as needed." Chin retrieved the match and knife, and began carving slivers.

"Good idea," said Steve. "The big toe can take more than one." He placed the pointy end of the one Chin had given him, and began to slide it just beneath Stan's big toenail. "Whoever does your pedicures does a real nice job."

Stan was breathing hard, but he smiled, less convincingly. "I know a bluff when I see one."

"Chin, the guy who tried to kill me and Danny, and who failed in doing either, thinks we're bluffing. I don't think we're bluffing," he commented, and shoved the thinnest part just enough under the nail that it was poking the skin, not yet sliding under the nail. He stopped, withdrew it, and handed it back to Chin. "Could you make that look more like a fat splinter? It's a little thick. And I probably only need this one, since I can keep pulling it out and shoving it back in. But keep that match ready, since I might want to set this little thing on fire, later. Stan likes fire, so he won't mind. He burned down Danny's house."

"Sure, Boss." One flick of the blade, and Chin handed a thinned sliver back to Steve.

"Don't do it!" Stan was struggling slightly, as if trying not to but unable to help himself. "Look, we can talk. I know you came to ask me about things."

"Just let me do this one," said Steve. "I can't resist." He shoved the little-more-than-a-splinter under Stan's big toenail.

Stan bit off a wail. "Dammit! Pull it out!"

"I can't. It broke. Chin, we need to find just the right thickness for the next one."

"**** you!" hissed Stan, breathing heavily, the pain already breaking his nerve.

"Chin, we can go massive on the others. You used the wrong word, Stan. We have Mo's phone, and know what you _wanted_ to do to Danny, and what you did do. _Not_ the way to get on my good side."

"You're lying. I looked for that phone." His assured voice was betrayed by the fear and flickering-to-life anger in his eyes.

Steve stood up and pulled the phone out of one pocket. He played some audio, and held it out so Stan could see the video. "Mo's phone." He shrugged as he re-pocketed it. "Your search for it was probably a bit on the rushed side. He's out of his coma now, and I know he wants real bad to testify against you. Chin, could I have a fatter splinter this time?"

"I made several. Take your pick."

Steve stepped back and selected one after due consideration. "This one feels sharp and strong, and it's got the desired length. I can set the end on fire later. Thanks, Chin. Good job."

Stan was not even trying to hide that he was struggling. "Look, just ask me questions, I'll answer them! You don't need to – God _dammit_!" He wailed impotently as Steve shoved the second splinter beside the first one.

"Oh yeah," commented Steve, studying his handiwork, which Stan, try as he might, could not see. "There's enough of an end to burn." He gazed like stone at Stan, who was breathing in pained hisses. "That one was for Neil Lane, the roofer who looked a bit like Danny, who you killed and then stuck in Danny's car and torched. His widow misses him greatly. All the others, though," Steve said as he held his hand out to Chin, who laid more splinters in his palm, "will be for Danny."

Eyes full of fear, Stan pleaded, clearly angry at his own weakness and need to beg. "Look, I'll talk. Just don't – I'll talk!"

"We know." Steve nodded, and then swore. "Chin, we did this wrong. Do you have the clipper?"

"Oh! Yeah. Oh wait, Abby has it. Let me just go next door for a sec."

Chin left the room, and as soon as the door was closed, Steve tweaked the splinter, just the tiniest movement. Stan grunted, his face beaded in sweat. "See, I'm making it my mission in life to make you talk. And if you refuse to talk, I have this." He pulled a syringe from his pocket, fully loaded with something bright yellow. "No antidote. It causes really bad, whole-body pain if I give you just a little. It wears off after a few hours. But if you make me give you all of it, it paralyzes, and kills slowly, but you will feel every second of every hour of about three days. Even the strongest pain killers won't work against this."

Stan could not take his wide, terrified eyes off the syringe. "H-how do I know you won't use that after I tell you everything?"

Steve instantly pocketed the syringe as Chin came back into the room, but he mouthed to Stan, "Be good."

"Steve, here's the clipper."

Steve took it in his left hand, and thanked Chin. "I may be a bit clumsy with this, but nobody in prison will care." Without further ado, he asked Chin to hold Stan's head still. As soon as Chin did so, Steve began to shave off Stan's thick hair, which looked good even without gels and sprays to style it. Soon, all of it was lying on Stan's shoulders and on the floor around his chair.

"You guys are sick," Stan whimpered, furiously. "Really sick."

"You wanted to rip off some of Danny's scalp. _**That**_ is sick," Steve and Chin intoned icily in unison.

Steve handed Chin the clipper and stood back to admire his handiwork. "What do you think, Chin?"

"I like it. Now he knows how Danny feels."

"Not quite. We didn't use a shaving razor on the stubble, but we can always do that later."

Stan, too afraid of Steve's syringe, said nothing, though he was seething now with rage.

"He should see this. Shall I do the honors?" Chin held up a handcuff key.

"Be my guest," answered Steve, face hard and eyes noticing Stan's fearful expression as he patted his pocket. He mouthed again, "Be good."

Chin unlocked first the wrist cuffs from the bar, then relocked his wrists in front of him, then unlocked the ones on Stan's ankles. He grabbed his arm and hauled him up, but as soon as he did, Stan unsnapped the cover of Chin's gun holster and grabbed his gun. With hands shaking with humiliation, rage, and fear, he shot Chin, then Steve, who both dropped like stones, red stains spreading on their chests. Kono and Abby were in the room in an instant, guns drawn, only to be shot multiple times while their shots went wide. They went down, faces shocked, and lay still. He grabbed up their guns and shoved them into his coverall.

Stan fumbled with the key he had taken from Chin's limp hand, and unlocked his cuffs. He yanked the one splinter he could from beneath his big toe, then as an afterthought pulled the syringe from Steve's pocket, and injected the contents into Steve, who was beginning to stir. Steve moaned, but did not regain consciousness. Stan didn't know if they were all dead – except for Steve, who couldn't survive that syringe of whatever it was; he was satisfied that they were all hurt and, for now at least, unable to hurt him. For good measure, he shot all but Steve again. Dead was best.

Stan was out the door and running down the hall, toward a doorway that he guessed the members of Five-0 had entered from. It was miraculously unlocked, and unguarded, so he looked wildly around, saw the chopper, and moved toward it stealthily, his toe paining him. But escape was the most important thing. He hid behind the handyman's truck, and noticed a number of tools in the storage area behind the seat, including a blowtorch and a heavy duty bolt cutter. He grabbed the last two items before heading to the chopper. He shot the chopper pilot, climbed in, and had the rotors spinning in nothing flat as he prepared to fly. Finally a guard appeared, who he shot at, and then he was airborne, swinging the chopper so he was flying away from the prison, even as he heard the pops of gunshots as other guards fired on the chopper. He was out of range quickly, then changed course for a straight-line flight to where he had left Danny.

If there was one thing he was going to be sure of before he tried to altogether flee the islands, it was that Danny was dead dead dead dead.


	31. Chapter 31 Helicopter Chase

**Chapter 31** "Helicopter Chase"

 **A/N:** (6 December 2016) Thank you thank you thank you thank you! OMGosh, you liked Steve's Plan! I'm sooo glad, because one never knows! Your reviews are soooo deeply appreciated, I love them, and I love you! I rushed this chapter, not much because it wanted out so bad, like a really quick birth. I've been tweaking, but here it is! I wrote half of it with eyes fully dilated since I had an eye exam yesterday. I felt like an owl, writing while the page kindof glowed fluffily.

A number of reviews commented on surprise that Stan could fly choppers. I didn't emphasize this in previous chapters, but it was mentioned several times, so I'm not surprised I stealthed it in too much. I wanted it to be a big surprise that Stan was the big baddie, and blew that on one line early in the story when he reacted to Steve with surprise, and there went my big surprise :-D It's all good!

I didn't know Steve was going to pick on Stan's toe until he did it. Writers really are holders of the pen, or fingers that type sometimes. The story is in charge. It's kindof fun to be surprised too.

I thought this chapter would go a little differently than it did, but then it said zig, so the writer has to go along. Not that often do writers actually have to squash something the story wants to do, but now and then we do actually get to call the shots.

This is my gift to everyone who enjoyed the previous chapter! I hope you enjoy this one as much! The story isn't over yet!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0!

.

 **Chapter 31** "Helicopter Chase"

(24 December 2016, Saturday, 9 a.m.)

Danny awakened, and knew by the extremity of the weakness he felt, the illness and infection that now had him in a vice-like grip, that he was not going to survive much longer. A sadness assailed him, deeper than any pain he had ever experienced, and even Angel's sweet, loving exertions to lift his spirits … failed. He apologized to Angel, who mewed piteously in distress and turned up her purr to maximum volume possible for such a small kitten, but Danny could only pet her, his sight blurred by gathering tears. Then he exerted himself to reach the notebook and pencil. He felt more tears on his face, which Angel kept licking away, as he wrote, the letters wobbly:

My beloved children, family, ohana, I'm sorry I didn't make it out. I tried so hard to get back to you. Please adopt Angel, my baby kitten. I love you all so much. Danny

That was all he could manage before he clutched the notebook, and Angel to him with what little strength he could muster, and his head rested on the blanket. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and he began to pray. Sleep came again, and he did not expect to wake up.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve was up and on his feet as soon as Stan left the room, helping Kono to her feet even as Chin had literally rolled over to Abby and was helping her up as he gained his feet at the same time. Steve's eyes were on each member of his team. "Everyone okay?" They were splattered with blood, which was from the adapted paintball 'bullets' that had been in the gun Chin had carried in his holster. They had all carried these realistic-looking guns when they went in to question Stan.

"Yes." "Yeah." "Uh huh."

"Okay, good." Steve sighed with relief, and then grabbed his radio as soon as it came to life. "All safe, is Stan out the door?"

"Hallway is clear, target is in the chopper," said the guard through the radio, so Kono ran back to the observation room, grabbed her computer, and rejoined the others. She opened it up and brought it to life. "Signal is coming through strong and clear. Stan disabled the GPS, so those redundant trackers you put on the chopper were a great idea, Boss."

They were all shucking off their spattered jackets, showing close-fitting tactical vests instead of the heavy ones they usually wore. Abby was watching the screen of Kono's computer. She gave the word when Stan was out of range of their own chopper, now coming in for a landing in the parking lot. "He's definitely bee-lining, so I'm guessing he's heading straight for Danny."

"That was the hope of my plan," said Steve, feeling tense and relieved, but knowing they had a way to go before they would be fully able to relax. They had to get to Danny before Stan could hurt him. "Chin, make sure the other chopper pilots respect Stan's radar. He must not know we have four birds up to follow him."

"Will do," replied Chin, and began talking on his own radio. "Technically three, but we'll be airborne in a minute." They were all on the move, out in the parking lot, watching their helicopter set down just long enough for them to all climb aboard, including the pilot "killed" by Stan. He sat co-pilot in this chopper. He was looking annoyed by the gory mess of fake blood on the back of his head.

They barely had their headsets on and belts fastened before they were just skimming over the razor wire of Halawa Correctional Facility, in hot pursuit of Stan. "He's on a straight line," confirmed the pilot, listening to the private channel on which the 4 pilots were speaking to one another. "Hang on, hitting the jets." His right hand had a firm grip on the cyclic stick and his left set the rotors for speed, then worked the throttle. Rain lashed the helicopter, inhibiting visibility, so he kept his eyes on his instruments. The flight was smooth; Captain Martin Grubowski had 39 years' experience in birds; there wasn't anything about them that he didn't know.

"Use the towels provided to clean up; don't mess up my bird," Grubowski added. Everyone wiped up whatever stains they could, while still focusing on their pursuit of Stan.

"Signal is still strong." Kono's voice was clipped. "And he's in a real hurry. Boss, you really scared the **** out of him."

Steve looked grim. "That was the plan. He could have told us Danny was on X mountain or Y canyon or Z building, but that would have cost us time, to figure out just exactly where. He wasn't going to make it easy. The only way to get him to _lead_ us willingly to Danny was to humiliate, scare and enrage him, all at once, so he'd be too flustered to really think about what he was doing as opposed to what he thought he was doing: killing us and escaping. And we had to provide him with the means. Good thing he's been a chopper pilot for 8 years."

"He shot me in the head!" complained Abby. "Glad it wasn't for real."

"He kill-shot us all," growled Chin. "And poisoned Steve to death. How are you feeling, Boss?"

"Good, since I got a shot of saline-diluted vitamin B." He smiled grimly. "But he sure drove that needle in hard."

"Caught up and matching speed," informed Grubowski. "He's got only 53 seconds on us. We are 3 seconds from being on his radar."

"That's cutting it acceptably close," Steve commented. On the radar, they could see the Search and Rescue chopper paralleling them 500 feet to their left.

Steve was watching the instruments as best he could, seated behind the co-pilot, while at the same time switching out his paint ball pistol for his usual handgun. Abby was handing each team member their real gun. "This is nowhere near where Mo was found. He was careful enough not to drop him where Danny was. We're heading 180 from where Mo was found."

Now Chin was talking to police and search and rescue. They knew they would need equipment to get into the shipping container, and to cut through the chain on Danny's ankle once they got inside the container. "Duke and units are converging on the direction Stan is flying. We will have men on the ground around wherever he lands as soon as possible. Speed limits are being broken, sirens and lights are probably making a lot of people on the ground wonder what the hell is going on."

"Let Tripler know to prep their medevac. Make sure Dr. Cornett is on board," Steve instructed.

"Copy that." Chin switched channels and spoke briefly, and held up his thumb. "They want to know if they should lift off."

"Yes," said Steve. "Give him our coords and direction, set an intercept course. Keep them updated."

"Copy." He listened, and began calculating vectors and time in his head. "This will put them about 4 minutes behind us."

"Abby, calculate ahead and see what's out this way."

"Already on that. Not much but small areas of interest to tourists, and some small towns. There are only a few roads out this way, inland, so most of the tourists get here by chopper or by boat."

Roughly a half hour later, Kono suddenly barked, "Stan is slowing sharply, he's angling in a sharp circle … hovering – I think he's landing!"

"Everyone, converge!" ordered Steve via Chin.

Abby was checking the map. "Small business park nearby, empty land where Stan is. Wait! Update! Satellite photo shows an abandoned, partially built apartment complex, intel says it was stopped five years ago due to numerous code violations, including disregarding sanctity of sacred lands. There are abandoned buildings! We should have visual in seconds!"

"I see the chopper –and Stan! He's working on the door of the second container," called Steve, adrenaline coursing through his veins, as it was through everyone's. "Swat with Search and Rescue, take out Stan! No kill shots unless you have no choice! Do not let him reach Danny! He's down there, I can feel it. We've reached him! God, let it be in time," he whispered, as if praying. "How far out is the Tripler Medevac?"

"Three minutes and closing."

"Omigod, he didn't reach Danny," breathed Kono, thankfully, as they watched a sniper down Stan with non-lethal shots to his right leg and left arm. Stan tried to crawl back toward the chopper, but two of the Swat officers were already rappelling down, from their hovering chopper, and as soon as their feet were secure on the rooftop, they had Stan captured and in cuffs. Other men rappelled down with gear and went to work with blow torches on the door side of the shipping container Stan had been working on before he was taken out. It was very clear he was still alive, and spitting mad.

One of the men climbed into the chopper, and it lifted off and landed on the ground far enough from the building to allow for police units and aid units to park and do their work. Steve's chopper landed next, and Five-0 clambered out. Steve ran to the container. He used his left hand to bang on the door. "Danny? Danny?"

"I don't hear anything," whispered Kono.

One of the rescue men was hoisted onto the roof of the container, where he removed the air pipe and sent down a camera and light. "I see him! I see him! He's not moving!"

"Oh God," Steve breathed. "Can you get me up there and drop a mic into that opening? I need to see him, talk to him."

"DANNY YOU BASTARD!" yelled Stan, at the top of his lungs. Steve turned on him and punched him in the mouth.

"Get him off this roof. Get him back to Halawa ASAP."

Stan glared balefully, hate almost making his eyes spark. "I killed you. You tricked me. What was in that gun, that syringe?"

"Paint ball bullets filled with blood, and diluted vitamin B," Steve answered. "Thanks for leading us to Danny. I don't have time for you now. But I will later. Get him off this roof," he ordered.

Swat buckled a handcuffed Stan into a sling and it wasn't even a minute later that he was in the back of a cruiser with an escort, both just arrived on scene, and began his overland journey back to Halawa's infirmary.

"Commander," one of the Rescue team called down. "We can pull you up in this harness. Camera and mic are ready."

As Steve was being pulled up onto the roof of the container, their helicopter was taking off again, to land on the clear area not far from the one Stan had used. Tripler's Medevac was coming in for its landing.

Steve waved Dr. Cornett, first one out of that chopper, to follow him up. "He's here!"

Steve crouched down to look at the video screen, and saw his partner, lying in a blanket-wrapped ball, a glowing white light stick near him, a notebook in one slack hand, and a very active white kitten with pale markings frantically trying to wake Danny up.

Steve picked up the mic. He had a lump of fear in his throat. They couldn't be too late! But there was no denying that his best friend and partner looked sick and unconscious. He was breathing very shallowly. "Danny! Danny, we're all here. We're all here to get you out. Kono, Abby, Chin, they're all here! Danny? Wake up, Babe! Please wake up," he pleaded as Dr. Cornett joined him by the small screen.

Finally, Danny stirred and awakened. He looked toward the door of the box, and when he saw the camera and mic, he blinked and stared, then rubbed his eyes, confusion and surprise turning visibly into relief and joy. He clutched the kitten to himself and smiled weakly, and whispered raspily, "Steve?" while tears began to stream down his face. The kitten's purring was loud enough that the mic picked it up and when Danny spoke Steve's name on top of the purrs, the rescuers en masse erupted in shouts of jubilation and relief.


	32. Chapter 32 Crowded Rescue

**Chapter 32** "Crowded Rescue"

 **A/N:** (10 December 2016) You all … that was the most reviews for any chapter I've ever written, and they were wonderful, and you are wonderful, and I thank you for everything! I'm so glad you were pleased! I **loved** all the OMGs, all the joy, even the person who just wrote, "REALLY?!" – 31 got more reviews than any chapter I've ever written! All the new people who followed and favorited, wow, thank you soooo much! To every reader, humble thanks and much happiness! I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading! :-D

This chapter was a real challenge, but it finally says "Post me!", so here goes! Enjoy!

The usual disclaimer … CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 32** "Crowded Rescue"

(24 December 2016, 9:53 a.m.)

Steve thought his best Christmas present ever was seeing Danny move and then say his name in that voice raspy with sickness. He laughed and coughed because he was going to burst into tears, but instead he smiled the widest smile it was possible to fit onto his face at Dr. Cornett.

The doctor returned it along with a hearty pat on Steve's back before he turned his eyes back onto the camera feed, studying his patient, his mind pausing just long enough to send a wordless "thank you" heavenward before focusing on every tiny little detail he could see about Danny Williams.

Steve took a few moments to look down at his co-workers, his Five-0 ohana, hugging one another and smiling bright enough to chase away clouds, rain, and bad weather for a month at least.

But Danny wasn't out yet. "How long till you cut through that door," called Dr. Cornett, beating Steve to the question.

"Another 15 minutes, maybe a little more." Blowtorches went back to work, with renewed vigor. Cornett turned to one of the rescuers on the shipping container's roof. "He needs a blanket to protect him from any flying sparks. And he needs socks, a medical mask, a sterile cap and a gown from the medevac." He explained quietly to Steve, "We need to protect him from germs, and ourselves from any he may have picked up in there, and give him some warmth. Overkill, but better than taking chances."

Steve was now paying full attention to Danny. He watched his friend struggle to sit up, and even on the small picture they had, it was clear that he was shivering. "Danny, give us 15 minutes to cut through that door, and we'll be in to get you out of there. That sound good, Buddy?"

Danny's smile might be weak, but it was sun-bright. "You have no idea, Steve. How is everyone? How are my kids? Is it Christmas yet?"

"We're fine now that we found you, Danny. And it is Christmas Eve, almost 10 a.m., and both Gracie and Charlie are looking forward to seeing their Danno."

By now there was a ladder against the door of the container next to Danny's, and someone climbed up and handed over everything the doctor had asked for. First through was the socks and mask, and sterile cap, in plastic wrapping, which Dr. Cornett ripped through so Danny would not have to struggle to open them. Steve was still manning the mic. "We have some stuff for you; socks and a blanket, and a hat thing. Can you move enough to get them if we drop them through this hole? If not, we will figure something out to get them to you. Doc Cornett is up here with me."

Danny smiled again when he heard Dr. Cornett's name, then looked unsure. "Hi, Doc. You make box calls." It was clear he was getting more exhausted by the sentence. "For socks and a blanket, I will sure try."

But it turned out he didn't have to. As soon as the socks, mask and cap were dropped down through the opening where the air pipe had been attached, Angel bounded over and fetched them back to Danny, then tussled to bring over the gown, and finally even managed to slowly drag over the protective kevlar blanket, latching on to a corner of it with her teeth, then yanking and dragging it backwards until Danny was able to grab the corner from her, whereupon Angel sat down and looked relieved when nothing else was dropped down the hole in the ceiling.

"Who's your little friend there, Danny?" asked Steve, impressed by the kitten. He and Cornett had noticed how grateful Danny was to not have had to use up the energy to come get the things, and how much struggle he had pulling on the bright yellow socks and the lightweight surgical gown, a barrier Cornett wanted Danny to have as he re-entered the world outside the container, and no doubt would be hugged by his friends. The mask and cap were easier, and the blanket was met with relief, for it was warm as well as protective against sparks.

Danny caught his breath, then introduced Angel, after petting her for helping him. "This little girl is my kitten, Angel."

"But you don't like cats," teased Steve, while Danny kept breathing rapidly, which Dr. Cornett's eagle eyes did not miss. He asked Steve for the mic.

"I love this one," whispered Danny, affectionately, petting the purring kitten in his arms, clutched to his chest. He was very out of breath.

Dr. Cornett spoke into the mic. "I liked your Christmas card," he began, warmly, then told Danny to cover himself and Angel with the blanket. "Sparks will be flying now, and we need you safe. Don't talk now, but breathe as deeply as you can. We're almost to you. We'll make sure Grace is waiting at Tripler when we land, so you can see her right away. I'll call Becca and ask her to drive her over."

"Becca!" Danny smiled, then frowned. "Why can't Rachel bring her?"

Not wanting to go into the big picture Danny was so unaware of, and which would be so upsetting to him, Steve leaned into the mic. "Rachel and Stan are otherwise detained, you know, with Christmas things. You don't mind if Becca brings Gracie over, do you?"

"No." Danny smiled with his eyes. "I'd love to see her too. I've done a lot of thinking in here."

Cornett took over the mic again. "Stop talking. Just nod or something, then get your head under the blanket. Any thoughts that I, as Becca's father, should be worried about?"

Danny's eyes smiled again, and he blushed. Then he pulled the blanket over his head as ordered, briefly, before popping out. "Has Steve met Hannah yet?"

"Blanket," ordered Steve and Cornett, while Cornett laughed. "Oh, they've met. We'll have to tell you about that."

They kept talking to him, keeping his focus constantly on their presence, those of the rescuers, and that he was now safe and about to be reunited with the people he loved. Steve and the doctor finally had to turn the mic over to the rescuers, while they climbed down, to be the first people in when the opening in the door was finished.

Cornett was the first one in, with his medical bag, but Steve was the first person Danny hugged, for a long time. He was crying silently, words entirely unnecessary. Then came Chin, Kono, and Abby, all with their own special hugs and more tears, and even Dr. Cornett, who had already managed to get Danny's temperature, a blood pressure reading and some skin swabs before it was his turn. Chin, Kono and Abby promised to be waiting just outside, when Danny got his first look at the world he had not seen for three and a half days. It felt to them all that it had been a lot longer.

Steve had become Angel's holder when Danny was hugging his ohana. She had climbed into his sling and hunkered down on his cast, accepting pats and praise from all until it was just him, Cornett, and a couple rescue personnel, trying to figure out how to release Danny's ankle from the chain. Steve petted Angel, who was a little tense and worried, but seemed happy, if entirely focused on Danny.

He stood to one side, and looked around Danny's prison. He noticed the notebook, and could not help but see what Danny had written. It broke his heart to realize that Danny had thought he would not make it out alive. Steve began to use his left hand to stroke the kitten who had so captured Danny's heart. She gave his hand a rub and began to purr tentatively before again super-focusing on her human.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

The relief Danny felt at being found, and now knowing he would be out of the box soon, was so deep and profound that all he could do was keep himself from crying. He didn't have the breath for that, or frankly the energy, so tears slid without help as he submitted with no complaint whatsoever to everything Dr. Cornett quietly asked of him. He kept looking around, especially at Steve and his doctor, but at the faces of his ohana, appearing regularly at the hole cut in the door. He would see his children soon, and it was Christmas Eve morning.

But something was missing. "Where's Angel?" he whispered, panicked. "Don't take her away from me!"

He was again relieved when he heard her much louder purr, and saw her cute face peering over the top of Steve's sling. He smiled brightly. "She saved me," he said, with almost no voice left at all. His eyes found Steve's and he nodded back to Danny's wordless plea.

"Don't you worry about this little lady," Steve said, petting the bundle of purr and softness that had decided his sling was the perfect watching post from which to guard her human. "She's got you under surveillance, and I've got her under my personal protection."

Danny smiled and then his brows furrowed. He pointed at Steve's sling and arm cast. "How?" then "Ow!", for Dr. Cornett was now giving his full attention to his injured, infected thumb. A male nurse had joined his doctor inside the now crowded box, and they were murmuring to one another in fluent medical-ese. While Danny had caught the words meaning 'pneumonia', he had no clue what they were saying about his thumb, but if the concentration of his doctor was any indication, it was probably a good thing he didn't understand. He looked pointedly at Steve's cast.

"This? Oh, it's nothing. I got it the day you vanished," he admitted, but was not about to say more than that. "And Gracie's arm is healing really well. She had her check-up on that yesterday, and she's healing so well, Becca thinks the cast can come off in three more weeks."

Danny felt like his face was set on permanent smile.

But finally there was some commotion around his chained ankle. "Half-inch tungsten carbide chain. Same metal in the lock," scowled one of the Search And Rescue men. "We can't cut through that without a diamond saw."

"What?" Steve was astonished. "That's overkill!"

"What about this isn't overkill?" mumbled someone, which, while true, was insensitive to Danny's overwrought nerves. He became very still, only trying to relax when Dr. Cornett very apologetically slipped the oxygen mask over his face and asked him to breath regularly and deeply. He obeyed, while his feelings flip-flopped towards hurt and depression that someone had used the hardest chain and lock made to see to it he would not escape the box.

"We'll have to send for a diamond saw. It will take time."

"But the tether chain is only hardened stainless. We can cut through that!"

"Do it. We can do the ankle chain at Tripler."

Earphones were handed to everyone, while a pair were placed over Danny's ears. He worried about Angel, and asked if he could hold her, rendered redundant when she leapt from Steve's sling to Danny's arms, and while she hurt his thumb when he caught her, he didn't mind at all. He wrapped himself around her as much as he could.

"Protect yourselves from sparks," warned the lead rescuer, who was going to cut the chain as close to Danny's ankle as was safe. "Blankets for all who must remain inside. Everyone else, out."

Danny was swathed in blanket-protected bodies, including Steve and Dr. Cornett, which pretty much guaranteed that Angel was protected too. Someone had made a harness for her out of Kevlar rope, so she would not be able to panic and run away. Danny held the rope in his left hand, and tried not to give in to claustrophobia in the press of people keeping him safe.

But amidst the loudness of the saw, he felt a sharp, burning prick on his ankle, and cried out in surprise and pain. Cornett swore, and he felt the protective blanket on his foot and ankle shift to cover the area. "Breath, Danny," ordered his doc, and Danny, tears forming, obeyed, even as he clutched Angel to him.

As soon as the saw stopped and he felt the chain's weight drop away, the rescuer in charge called, "Clear." Cornett, the nurse, and Steve were instantly bent over his ankle.

Danny wasn't even sure who said what, for all the words piled into a jumble. "Don't move your ankle, Danny." "Dammit, one spark found the one spot not covered." "Tweezers STAT!" That was Cornett, just managing to sound calm and confident, so Danny would not panic, which is what he actually felt like doing, except he knew he couldn't. "Hold his leg and ankle still." Danny thought that was Steve and another person.

Cornett said, soothingly. "A burning pin dot of steel landed on your skin, between the links, and embedded roughly 3 millimeters. I am going to do something similar to the game of Operation to remove the pin dot with tweezers. It will hurt, but not for long."

"Can't we do that in the chopper?" asked the chief of Search And Rescue.

"No. It's still burning hot and is continuing to further embed, and there is a vein right below it," stated Cornett in a clipped voice as the nurse handed him the surgical glasses with the super-magnifiers on them. "It is small enough to travel through that vein if it burns through it."

Danny wished he had never watched one of those western shows or movies where the hero got shot and someone had to dig out the bullet. On a much smaller scale, this was what he was going through. He set his teeth, did not move or make a sound, though he wanted to do both, until the doc finished. "Got it! Vein uncompromised," he stated sharply, then softened his voice. "Danny, breathe. Increase oxygen, and give me the lidocaine dropper."

Danny felt the instant the drop of pain killer was used, and at the same time felt Steve's hand on his left hand, which was holding Angel. "You okay, Buddy?"

Danny took the deepest breath he could and nodded, his exhausted blue eyes still glowing with gratitude. "Can we go home now?" he asked wistfully.

Cornett ordered in the litter. He patted Danny on the shoulder, and smiled at him. "You were brave. Now let's get you out of here, and back with the rest of your family."

.

((A/N: Cubit was right!))


	33. Chapter 33 Emotional Roller Coaster

**Chapter 33** "Emotional Roller Coaster"

 **A/N:** (17 December 2016) You are the best. You are THE best. Thank you for so many kind words. I appreciate you more than I can say, so I keep writing for you. This is my thanks to you. That and hugs!

((GYAH for the Winter Finale cliffie! They simply have to get Chin back, and let Sarah go home with him and be adopted by him! But was there any more palpably ewwwww-ick scene than Danny and Grover working with Max on that phone autopsy of the burned guy? I mean…..I love how they've been working in a lot more scenes with those two, and will miss Max when he leaves.))

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and lets us play with it.

 **Chapter 33** "Emotional Roller Coaster"

(Saturday, 24 December 2016, 10:30 a.m.)

.

A very few hours before, Danny had not thought he would live to see the minute, even the second he was released from the box. And now, it was Christmas Eve morning, and he was being readied to be carried from it, wrapped in blankets, on a litter being carried by people he knew, and others he did not know but kept trying to thank until his voice had nothing left, and a deep cough was beginning to jar him when it happened. He smiled brightly though, as he was slipped through the opening cut in the box, and he saw the outside for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

It did not slip his notice, while he was again enjoying being reunited with Chin, Kono and Abby, that CSI agents were quietly entering the box, to begin their investigation. The falling rain, now more of a heavy mist, was obscuring the sun, but no longer was Danny at the mercy of the cold. He was simply happy to be outside and free again.

He also knew that it meant bad news for when he found out who had locked him in the box. He would find out when he was more capable of dealing with that information. In the meantime, he knew that he was safe, because everyone was acting like he was, rather than darting their eyes up and around to make sure there was no danger lurking.

He was still clutching his kitten, Angel, who was very clingy while showing intense curiosity for the world outside the box. Steve was by his side as soon as he stepped out right behind him, and then he was again engulfed by well-wishers, especially his Five-0 teammates, who again hugged him, then stepped back as Dr. Cornett kept pulling the litter and its carriers towards the medevac. But Danny managed to stall him for a moment. "I need to see where this is," he said, and coughed until he thought his lungs would either explode or be expelled. When he coughed, someone pulled the oxygen mask off his face, and when he stopped, the same set of hands carefully put it back in place.

Dr. Cornett understood, and a half minute would not hurt. Danny could see that he was almost timing that thirty seconds, so he made best of it. He saw how almost desolate the area was. In such a paradise, how had he ended up where the trees were largely missing, the shrubbery scrawny and sparse, as if something bad had happened to the land around what was apparently the half-finished roof of an abandoned building equally only partially constructed?

Steve watched Danny look around, very much as Angel was, except that Angel was still focused on Danny, and Danny was now troubled. "How did you find me here? Is this still Oahu?" he asked. He shook his head. He had no recognition of this place at all.

Steve caught Cornett's subtle shake of his head. "Uh," Steve said, striving for and not quite succeeding in finding a neutral tone, which told Danny more than worry or fear or whatever defined emotion Steve was trying to avoid. "We will get into all the details when you have satisfied your doc here that you are ready to hear them. I think he's anxious to get you back to Tripler to begin the poking and prodding."

This meant that whatever he wasn't being told was very bad. Danny began to try to dredge up the energy to hear it. He was safe and out of the box, which was very good. But there was going to be a very bad soon.

"No one has mentioned Charlie. Is he okay? You are not tippy-toe-ing because of Charlie, are you?"

Steve was quick to assuage Danny's worries. "Charlie's fine, Danny. He's not quite sure what is going on, but that means he brightens us all up with his Christmas excitement. He's fine, and misses his Danno. Soon as you are in a room, we'll bust rules and bring him up to see you."

One fear put to rest. Danny felt his sudden tension ease. "I get to see Gracie?"

Steve nodded. They were moving now toward the helicopter. He glanced back at Kono, who was calling Becca. "Grace will be waiting for you." And he saw the CSI people entering the box. It was, after all, a crime scene.

"Rest, Danny," said the gentle Dr. Cornett. "Rest now and let us run some tests and get you cleaned up to see her."

Danny nodded, lay back, and closed his eyes. The middle-of-nowhere feel of the area around the box told him nothing except that he would not like the answers to all his questions of how he had come to be here. He felt Angel snuggle against him, and he knew at least she had survived with him. That had been his last worry, that he would die before he could get Angel to safety. In the box, she could break into the food packets, if he grew too weak to open them. But it had all been a terrible fear, that he would be unable to give her water, provide for her survival. He could not stand the thought that the kitten he had come to love might die because he had failed to get them out of the box.

But he had survived. Steve and his team had found him, with Angel, in time. Angel, too, was safe.

He hugged her with one hand, and whispered Steve's name. "You have to take care of Angel. Promise me I can keep her."

"You bet, Danny. We'll work it out."

"Becca has a cat, Clarence, a few months older than your little lady here," said Dr. Cornett, as the litter was lashed in place inside the helicopter. He was now wearing a mask and gloves. "She sent me a text just now that she'd be happy to look after Angel. She and Grace are almost to Tripler already."

"Clarence, the angel from 'It's A Wonderful Life'?" wheezed Danny, breaking into another cough.

Cornett grinned with his eyes. "You got it, Danny. I'm glad your cough is nicely productive. It will clear out those lungs, and medicine will make sure you feel better in a few days. Now, let us get busy with our medical stuff, and you rest. Steve, could you take Angel?"

That simple request of Steve let Danny know that the show was now beginning for real. He felt the chopper lift off, and the medevac's personnel went to work.

Danny did rest, even as a whirlwind of activity happened around him and to him. Steve asked someone to tie the leash for Angel's harness to the wrist of his cast, so he could use his good hand to alternately pet her - once again perching in his sling - and hold Danny's hand. He talked soothingly to him about how glad they were to have found him in time for Christmas. "If your doc gives the clearance, maybe we can bring Christmas to you in your hospital room."

Cornett replied optimistically. "So far, Danny, I'd say that's a possibility, even if it may have to be a very short party, and only if you are not in ICU. I am cautiously optimistic, and willing to grant you special privileges, as long as they do not compromise your recovery."

"Uh oh, you're starting to sound like a doctor," muttered Danny, steeling himself as best his lack of strength could.

Dr. Cornett stilled, and his brows furrowed. "Er, sorry?"

Danny's burst into laughter was cut short by another productive cough. "Go for it, Doc," grinned Danny, then gave in to fatigue.

Danny closed his eyes and held Steve's hand as his clothes were cut from him and bagged, and certain medically undignified and quite personal tests were performed that he normally would have questioned, or at least complained about. He was saving his energy, and his doctor had to do what his doctor had to do, and Doc Cornett was being brow-raisingly thorough, even for him. Danny's entire body was washed twice with medical wipes, before he was dressed in a knee length gown and the kind of pants given to patients. He got a fresh pair of socks, but his chained right ankle inhibited that half of the pair from being pulled up to his mid calf. The little burn was given a light dressing, as that was all that could fit under the tight chain. His head was covered with another cap, and he was warmed by more blankets, after which the testing began in earnest. A pulse oximeter was clamped onto his index finger on his good hand, and the doctor was unhappy with the reading of 87, when the number should be 98 or above. Oxygen was increased in the mask until the level was at 92, but that was as high as it would go. Blood was drawn, and two IV lines inserted, one with saline, another with electrolytes. His ability to inhale was tested with an incentive spirometer, which he would get accustomed to using in the following days as he recovered and was able to take deeper breaths.

Danny heard words and phrases like 'dehydrated', 'fever 101.4, down from 101.6 fifteen minutes ago', 'electrolytes out of balance', 'pneumonia' again, 'early stage sepsis' as they were again looking at his thumb. His knee was carefully medicated and bandaged. Every time he coughed, the sputum was saved to be cultured. He would open his eyes now and then and glance up at Steve, and Angel peering at him from Steve's sling. His eyes smiled for him. Steve smiled back, and Angel would begin her happy purr.

"Five minutes from Tripler," someone said. His litter was secured, and Steve had to sit and strap in, with Angel, protectively wrapped in a towel. Danny's anticipation grew, for he would be seeing Grace. He needed to see Grace.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny thought the most beautiful vision he had ever seen was his daughter, flanked by Becca, both in hospital gowns and masks. She was radiant, and the hug they shared lasted a long time. He had been wheeled on a gurney from the chopper to the receiving room in front of the elevators which would take him down to the ER. There, he was able to hug Gracie, and she was crying, but smiling. He was crying, but smiling. "Gracie, Monkey. Best Christmas Eve present ever," he whispered, and held her. "I love your pink cast! I know I look funny with the hair, uh, well, that hat is bad but the no-hair look is worse." His ankle had been draped in blankets so his daughter would not know about that.

"I'm so glad I get to see you, I was so worried. I've seen the no-hair look, but it will grow back," sniffled Grace. "I'm the one who overheard mom and Step Stan and figured out it was them when I saw the pictures," she rushed on, "and I called Uncle Steve, and he did everything else. He got Step Stan to lead everyone to you. I missed you so much. I was so scared."

Danny froze, but only briefly, for Grace's sake. Rachel and Stan? They had done this to him? His ex-wife? Her husband? They had locked him in a box and … to die? Rachel?

His emotions did a complete flip flop and nosedive, and he knew Steve and Dr. Cornett, and even Becca, realized it, though he would not let on to Gracie. He did not feel ready to know what he now knew. This was the bad that Steve and everyone else had kept from him. It was much worse than he had expected the news to be.

Much worse.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

"You did right, and you were very brave," Danny said, hoping it was the right thing to say to Gracie as he shoved his flat-lined, numb emotions into the place he hid the pain from his children. "How is Charlie? Wh-where have you two been staying?"

"Happily oblivious, and excited about Christmas. We've been staying with the Cornetts. They are really really nice."

"Yes, they are," whispered Danny, definitely realizing how much he wish he was still happily oblivious about Rachel and Stan's attempt to murder him. "Why didn't you stay at our house? No offense, Doc; it was really kind of you to take in my kids."

Steve shook his head, and the tension on his face told Danny not to pursue questions about his house. More pain to come. Okay. Danny was beginning to feel light headed and sick. He shut down his mind. "Hey, Monkey, meet my kitten! I hope you and Angel will become best friends."

Gracie immediately went coo-ingly nuts over Angel, and it was mutual. While they got acquainted, Danny sought Steve's eyes, which were worried and apologetic as he whispered, "I'll explain everything later." Translation: Not in front of Grace. Danny knew this was really going to be bad.

Danny shoved the information he was unprepared to cope with aside, for now, and thanked Becca for bringing Grace. He gave her a hug that lasted a few seconds longer than he had meant. But her hair smelled so nice, and he needed some comfort, and her eyes were full of understanding for him. "Thank you, Becca. Thank you. You look beautiful," he commented, noticing the very Christmas sweater under her gown. "Are you sure you don't mind looking after my kitten?"

"Thank you, Danny," responded Becca, and her eyes were glowing with unshed tears. She had noticed the change in Danny, how he had held her so tenderly, and her heartrate sped up and she dared to hope he might be finally noticing her the way she noticed him. But there was tension as well, for she knew Grace had slipped up telling Danny too soon who had tried to kill him. "And Angel will be no trouble at all. The kids have been staying at my Dad's house, while we were looking for you, and they've all met and approve of Clarence. I'll run Angel to the vet for a quick check, if that's okay with you? She sure looks good, and that purr is huge!"

Danny was shaking again, try as he might not to. Dr. Cornett finally halted the reunions. "We need to get you into the ER," he said, apologetically bit firmly. "There will be lots of time for more reunions after we get you checked out."

"Can … can I just hold Angel for a few seconds before …?"

Gracie relinquished the kitten back into Danny's arms, and she snuggled against him, rubbing his neck.

Becca, watching the two interact, sighed without meaning to. "She sure is one … lucky … kitten." Danny smiled and glanced at Becca, then did a double take, for he could see things in her eyes, hear them in her voice. He remembered what he had thought about her while he was in the box, how they might have a future together.

How Danny needed to think of a future right now. Maybe he and Becca had a lot of their own talking to do later. And it would not just be about Angel.


	34. Chapter 34 About Becca

**Chapter 34** "About Becca"

 **A/N:** (21 December 2016) Wow, you are all so kind! I'm truly thankful for every read, review, follow, and favorite! I want to respond to reviews, but time is very short for me, so I can either respond or write more chapters. I do appreciate your words so much, so I write chapters, and thank you all here.

Technically yesterday I began writing on the story, which is the day IN the story that Danny was taken. Time is catching up, so now I have to keep up with it! Things got hairy with illness and my sis's surgery (she's fine now), and I lost time, but am back on track, just behind! Grrrr! Me and the calendar are having a race.

The usual caveat: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 34** "About Becca"

.

(Saturday, 24 December 2016, noon)

.

Before Danny had been wheeled into the elevator and taken down to the ER, Steve had watched as Danny once more hugged Gracie, Becca, to whom he had relinquished his beloved kitten, Angel, and then gotten a hug from the man who was his partner, friend, colleague, and brother in all the ways that matter the most. He had almost lost him, and now there was the joy of knowing he was found and would be there during their Christmas celebration, all the more moving because their lost member had been found.

Of course, Danny had also thanked his rescuers, again, with what little energy he still had left. It's what he did. He thought of others first.

"We'll be waiting for you when Doc Cornett finishes all that ER stuff."

Danny had nodded, eyes smiling with fatigue, and had waved his left hand, as his right hand was in a weird splint that kept his gashed, burned and infecting thumb elevated and still. That and the pneumonia would be the first things on Dr. Cornett's list of things to mend.

Steve knew there was a lot more on that list. And since Grace had let it slip who it was who had tried to kill Danny, there was a long emotional list as well. Steve had not intended to tell Danny anything about the case until he asked, because that would be the signal that he was ready to hear the details. Even then, he still had not had a chance to talk to the psychologist about the most delicate things.

Just as the doors of the elevator were closing, Steve had seen that subtle moment when his friend's façade of "it's all good", worn for his daughter, slipped and the emotional pain showed for a second. Then the doors were fully closed and the elevator went on its way.

Steve turned to Gracie, Becca, and Angel. They formed a tight-knit group. In five minutes, Becca had suddenly become a member of it, holding Danny's kitten, and comforting his daughter. Steve studied Becca. She wore a Fair Isle sweater with a red poinsettia and white snowflake pattern against a subdued green background, and green jeans that fit … nicely. Her hair was curling, short, and reminded him a little of a brunette version of Nellie Forbush, the young nurse in the old musical, "South Pacific", which was fairly often playing on one channel or other since it was set in World War II Hawaii. If you lived in Hawaii, you knew all the songs by heart. Becca had that naturally warm, comforting, caring personality. She was a tiny, athletic woman, several inches shorter than Danny, and pretty rather than beautiful, although after five minutes she seemed more beautiful than pretty. It was her personality. He liked her. He had seen the look pass between Becca and Danny, that double-take Danny had done, and that hug, just after Gracie had spilled the beans about Rachel and Stan.

Becca was aware that Steve was sizing her up, but she didn't seem to mind. "Happy Christmas Eve," she said in her warm voice, and stumbled over what to call him. "Commander seems so formal, but Steve might be too familiar. What should I call you?"

"Please, call me Steve. May I call you Becca? And may I give you a hug? A handshake, under the circumstances, would be insufficient."

And so they sealed their approval of one another with a hug, and Steve gave one to Gracie, who was obviously aware that something good had happened, besides the rescue of her Dad. She had fallen head over heels for Angel, too.

Gracie asked how long until she could again see her dad. Becca, cat wrangling a very curious kitten, while Gracie kept petting the active little thing, pursed her lips and answered, keeping in mind that Gracie didn't need to know all the difficulties her father would face in the ER. "At least three hours, maybe more, which, young lady, gives us time to take Angel to the vet. Would you like to come with me? It won't take us nearly that long."

Steve watched them, and smiled to himself. They got along so well already. When Danny's daughter turned to him for permission, he felt like a proud daddy, or uncle, or whatever he was. She was like family to him, like Danny was. "You may certainly go. Angel is going to be a big part of your life now, so you need to get to know her. She obviously adores you already. You and Becca."

"She likes you too, Uncle Steve."

Steve grinned. "But she loves Danny and you two, so I'll get to know her later on, since she wasn't sure about me at first. She doesn't love me yet."

"It's the super-SEAL vibe," stated Gracie, who then asked, showing her growing maturity level, "did I make a mistake by telling Danno about Mom and Step-Stan? I thought you had told him. I didn't think maybe he didn't know yet, that maybe he wasn't ready to know yet. I blew it, didn't I?"

Gracie was enveloped in two hugs, three if you counted Angel's contribution. "I hadn't told him," answered Steve. "But no one told you not to tell him, so hearing it from you was probably easier on him than hearing it from me. He loves you. And ever since we found him, he asked when he could see you."

Becca added, "It would have been difficult for him to hear, no matter when. Steve is right: better from you than anyone else."

Gracie finally nodded. "I still feel bad, but not as. Is he hurt badly? I noticed his hand. He'll be okay, right?"

Steve let Becca field that one. "My Dad will take the best care of him, so don't you worry at all. He'll fix him right up. Now, let's get this little lady to the vet, so we can be here when Danny is taken up to a room. You want to hold her? I do have a cat carrier in the car."

That distracted Grace. "I even know this kitten, a little bit. One of our neighbors, the Bartletts, has a cat who had kittens, and this one looks just like one of those. They found homes for all of them, so I never got a chance to ask Danno if we could adopt one. I mean, it all happened around when all this other stuff happened. So, how did Danno end up with one of them?"

"A mystery to be solved when I've had a chance to take Stan's statement," said Steve, looking at his watch. "Off you two go to the vet. Gracie, do you know the Bartlett's phone number?"

Grace surrendered Angel to him while she wrote the number down. She calmed down a little and once again took refuge in his sling. She sniffed him, and gave his hand a little lick, and began her soft purr.

Becca was smiling her radiant smile. "She's buttering you up, Steve. I think you are well on the way to being in the 'love' category with her. What will you do while we are at the vet?"

"Meet with my team, and wait for Danny. They flew in by another chopper, so are probably down in the ER waiting room now. And … cafeteria lunch. Have you two eaten?"

"We had a snack, but I always carry fruit in my car. We'll be fine, Steve. Go catch up with your team, and … let me know if you hear anything about Danny? I mean, Grace and me."

"You bet. Besides, you have an in with Danny's doctor."

"I do!" Her bright smile was back, but softer. "I'm so glad you found him. If you see Danny before we get back, will you give him my, uh, our, uh … give him Grace's love and tell him I said hi, and we will see him soon?"

As they once more confiscated Angel, Steve watched them leave in the visitor's elevator, and nodded his head. "Danny and Becca. Sounds good! She'll be good for him."

He took the next elevator down and found Chin, Kono and Abby in the waiting room as he expected. There was no news yet, so they left word to be called with anything, and headed quickly to their respective homes to shower and change, getting rid of all that Danny had not seen since they had worn gowns. Time to wash off the paint pellet blood. They would meet back at Tripler and get lunch in the cafeteria.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny kept his eyes away from everyone, for he was not just riding down with his doctor. There were two orderlies and two nurses as well, all paying close attention to everything he did, which included blinking or not, shifting to the right or left, even down to what or who he was looking at. Or not at. Right now, Danny was steeling himself for another session in the ER, knowing it would not go down on anywhere on his list of Fun Times.

He let them do their job, and rested as much as he could. There was so much now that he had to react to, emotionally and physically. He was worried about his knee, more worried about his thumb and lungs, not really worried about himself otherwise. Physically he knew he was not in the best way. He should be hungry, but he wasn't. He wondered why he wasn't thirsty, and decided it was that saline drip, which was re-hydrating, while the electrolyte bag was taking care of his lack of hunger.

The truth was, he didn't really care how he was doing physically, since that was fixable. He assumed. It was his emotions he was trying to either ignore or place in order of Need To Deal With.

But if he tried to think about Rachel and Stan, and what they had done to him, his emotions shut down, so he decided he would wait until he had more energy. Or was alone. Dealing with them was something he would definitely need to be alone to do. This hit way too close to the betrayal he had felt from his dead brother, Matty. The crook, who had lied to him and used him and gotten himself killed, and forced Danny to … he stopped himself. Matty was still not a subject he thought about unless he was alone. Occasionally he and Steve talked about it, but he didn't share it with anyone else until he had told Kono, when they were patching things up between themselves after the rough patch when Steve had gotten shot so bad he needed half Danny's liver to survive.

Dr. Cornett's caring voice snuck into his thoughts. "Your breathing is shallowing. Can you give me a few nice, deep breaths?"

Danny concentrated on his breathing. He was acutely aware, through the fatigue and fog of depressing he did not want to deal with, that Stan and Rachel might not even be the worst news waiting for him. There was the possibility of being intubated if the pneumonia was nasty, and he had no idea what might happen with his thumb. Adrenaline hit his system, and his blood pressure reacted. Suddenly, the elevator was too small, and too box-like. And Angel was … where? His antidote to panic.

"Where is my kitten?" he asked, finally searching for his doc's hazel eyes.

"Relax, Danny." The readings were picking up the panic, so Cornett stroked his left hand. "Becca is taking her to the vet. Just for a precaution. We'll smuggle her back in to be with you as soon as we can."

"Okay. Okay, doc. Thanks."

Cornett finally asked what had happened to his thumb, so Danny told him everything about that, how he had been trying to scrape through the link, and it kept heating up, and he slashed his thumb when it was already almost burned, and he had tried to cauterize the injury to get it to stop bleeding.

"When did that red vein appear, do you remember?"

"Today. I slept a long time, not feeling well, and when I woke up, I saw it like that. I know that's not good. How not good is it?"

Dr. Cornett was good at being evasive when it was in the best interest of his patient. "We are culturing the infection now. How long, best estimate, did your thumb feel like it was burning after you used the hot link to cauterize it?"

Danny had to think hard. "I kept a notebook in the box. I wrote stuff down. Uh, time was hard to tell, but I'd say a good 24 hours. Maybe longer. The cold night finally leached the heat out of it, but I know it got infected during that time. How bad? You know I'll ask until you tell me, Doc."

Cornett smiled. "I'll tell you after you tell me when you are going to ask my daughter to go on a date, or whatever people do these days. I saw how you two were looking at each other. I know my daughter, and I can tell she's interested. I may possibly have been indiscreet by saying that."

"Really?" Danny had been successfully distracted. "You think if I ask her out, then, that she will say yes?"

"Well, if you take a few more deep breaths … good. I'd say she will say yes, but it's up to her. But I know that look she gave you. Or, rather, I don't. It's a new one. You mean something special to her."

"You think so?" pressed Danny. "You know Melissa and I broke up quite awhile back. I wouldn't want you to think I would show interest if I was not over Melissa."

Claustrophobia was not a problem now that they were in the ER, having had this conversation while Danny was wheeled down corridors and into the X-ray room. "I knew you two had broken up before you met Becca. You are honorable, Danny. I know you will treat my daughter well." He smiled again, crinkling the edges of his hazel eyes, and Danny responded by relaxing and wondering why he was feeling less anxious rather than more.

"Okay, chest and right thumb X-ray time. I want a full set of each."

"Oh goodie," mumbled Danny, thinking about how much he had liked Becca's warmth, her caring, her sweater and jeans, and that short curly hair, and her hug, and her heart, how much she and Grace already had a connection. Grace now wanted to be a pediatric nurse, which was all due to Becca's friendship with her, how they had bonded during talks over X-rays of Grace's broken arm. Funny how some of the worst things in hospitals led to some of the best things. Like saving Steve's life over a liver transplant, and … wait, Cornett had ordered thumb X-rays, too? "Slippery bastard," he muttered.

"I heard that," said Cornett, and Danny blushed.

"Sorry! I sent you a Christmas card! I only do that if I like you."

"I put the card up in my office. I only do that if I like you."

They both chuckled, except that for Danny it turned into a coughing fit.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

It was nearing 3 o'clock, so said the clock on the wall in Danny's room in the ER. The chain on his ankle had been removed after the X-rays were run, and he had been subjected to a full bath, a multitude of tests, had used the incentive spirometer twice, and had been started on IV antibiotics for both the pneumonia and his infected thumb. His ankle was bandaged, and his fever was down to 99.8 degrees, which pleased Dr. Cornett. The oxygen mask had been exchanged for a nasal cannula.

Danny was exhausted and very sleepy. It vaguely amazed him that he had gotten used to his reverse schedule while in the box for only 3 days. It was now "night" to him, and he was having trouble keeping his eyelids up.

Dr. Cornett was looking over test results, and pulled a stool over by Danny's bed. "Well, we did a rush culture, and it looks like the pneumonia is caused by the Streptococcus pnuemoniea bacteria, very common, should respond quickly to the antibiotics. We have done an arterial blood gas test, rapid urine test, sputum culture, and I am satisfied with the results. We caught this early."

"Yay, now I really want to know about my thumb."

"Amputation."

"WHAT?" Monitor levels rose, and Dr. Cornett felt guilty.

"I was kidding! No, it's not that serious, for all it would have become so in another day or two. Breathe, breathe …."

"Don't do that to a potential son-in-law," complained Danny, already back in almost-sleep mode after a very brief stay in panic-land. He didn't even realize that he had let slip just how serious he was thinking about Becca.

Dr. Cornett caught it and kept his happy thoughts to himself. "That was for the 'slippery bastard' from before. All is forgiven now! As for your thumb, you are showing the very first stages of sepsis, but it is not resistant, so we can treat that quickly. There is no spread to lymph nodes, so your organs are not affected, which is excellent. It really is a good thing that we caught this early. Your hand is not in danger, your thumb only needs a surgical debridement, which we can do under local anesthesia. You will have a scar, because burns don't like to heal neatly. If you like, we can give you a mild sedative to give you some sleep while we do the debridement, use a local and clean up the damage done to your knee so it will scar less, and you will wake up in your room, in time for a few visitors and a mild, small dinner later tonight. You get to skip the ICU. Becca likes white daisies, pink roses, never drinks anything stronger than wine, and she likes it red, thinks sushi is food poisoning on a plate. If you want to impress her, take her to a nice Italian place or a mom and pop place with napkins and tablecloths. Fancy places don't impress her, but picnics do. On the radio, avoid heavy metal or heavy rock. She loves to dance, so you better know how to lead. Should we bring in the sedative and local anesthesia and get to work?"

Danny blinked. "Thanks! I know how to lead." He grinned. "I'm starting to get the idea you _**want**_ me to date Becca."

"I do. So how about the sedative and … unless you need more information?"

"Does she like jewelry?"

"I meant information about your condition. You can learn everything else you need to know about Becca from Becca. I wanted to give you a head start, but I can't tell you everything."

Still smiling, still fighting sleep, anxious to see if he would dream about Becca, he nodded. "Bring on the sedative and whatever it was you added to that."

Danny fell asleep before the sedative was even administered. Skillfully, Dr. Cornett had made him forget for the time being about Rachel and Stan, and other unpleasant things.


	35. Chapter 35 The Cure For Stiff McGritt

**Chapter 35** "The Cure For Stiff McGritt"

 **A/N:** (27 December 2016) You precious people, I hope you had a happy Christmas and that the rest of this year will be kind to you, and all of 2017!

As the title suggests, Hannah appears in this chapter, and it may seem very rushed, but this is based on some relatives of mine who pretty much went this way and are happy to this very day, over 60 years now.

I didn't expect this to quite go this way in this chapter, but it feels right to me. I hope it does to you too.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and we play with it.

 **Chapter 35** "The Cure For Stiff McGritt"

(Saturday, 24 December 2016, 4:45 p.m.)

It was nearing sundown on Christmas Eve, and Steve McGarrett had just called his task force ohana to tell them the news that Danny was out of the relatively minor surgery to clean up his thumb and his knee, and was in a private room, sleeping comfortably. They had arranged to meet later that evening at Tripler, and if Danny was up to it, they were going to bring him Christmas. In the meantime, each had some time to spend with their loved ones. Chin and Abby were at their shared home, and Kono was with her husband, Adam.

Steve called Becca and told her the news, and asked how Danny's children were doing, and how the adventure had gone at the vet. Everyone was fine, happy, and anxious to see Danny again. Becca had coaxed Charlie into taking a nap, since he would be up late that evening, because the Cornett family did their big gift opening at midnight, and they had added presents for Gracie and Charlie. Grace was working on a special card and surprises for Danno, and Angel had decided her little kitten body had definitely been awake too long without a proper nap. She was sleeping on Becca's lap.

"She's okay? No trouble at the vet?"

"Well, if you consider the two rather uhm … well, they didn't require even steri-strips … scratches she gave the person who forgot to warm the water when they bathed her, and was suddenly holding a claw-equipped whirling dervish with sound effects, it all went very well! Angel forgave her after the water was warmed up, and now she smells like vanilla. I'm pretty sure she isn't fond of vanilla since she wore herself out trying to lick it off after the rinse, until she gave up and fell asleep, rather forlornly I am afraid. She misses her Danny."

Steve had to smile, while his mood was mixed. Now that they had rescued Danny, and he was safe and sound, there were a lot of emotional matters to be addressed. "Well, I'm glad she didn't do too much damage with the bath. Cold water would have turned me into a bunch of claws and … vanilla, huh? I hope Danny likes vanilla. Hey, who picked up your brother and his family at the airport?"

"Oh, you remember things, don't you? Dad couldn't, but everyone understands," answered Becca, and in his mind Steve could see the smile on her face. "Mom went, while I watch the kids and what's cooking in the oven."

"Listen, uh, do you think you could give me a ride to Tripler? I guess you are busy, though. I don't want to disturb the kids or Angel until the gathering later. I don't want to leave Danny alone too long."

Becca's voice had a special smile in it. "Why don't I ask Hannah? She can swing by and give you a lift, since I am rather needed here. I'll ask her, she just walked in."

While Steve suddenly felt his mouth go dry and therefore failed utterly to stall Becca, while also feeling butterfly flocks all take wings at once in his stomach, he decided it was not the worst idea he had heard. He simply had never considered it. Hannah was someone he had kept off his mind while searching for Danny, but now that he was found and safe, Becca's fraternal twin sister was no longer off limits for his thoughts.

Becca came back on the phone. "She says sure! What's your address?"

Once that was given, Becca relayed that Hannah would be there in twenty minutes, and while he waited, she had some questions for Steve. Steve said, "Sure!" while doing a great job of changing clothes one-handed. For Danny, he had thrown on his usual shirt and cargo pants. For Hannah, he managed to talk on the phone while hurrying to add a button shirt over the black T-shirt, which required the sling to come off and buttons to be done, and the sling to go back on. He also managed to comb his hair and shave his stubble. In twenty minutes, while also talking to Becca.

"You sure sound out of breath, are you okay, Steve?"

"Ow! Aftershave in my eye," he complained, and wished immediately he hadn't mentioned it. Becca, the sweetheart that she was, did not comment on it.

"I did call Dad, and he wants to talk to you personally about Danny's test results. I do know most of the tests he would have run, but, yeah. Talk to Dad. Ummmmm … Steve? Is, you know, uh, there anything I should know about that, uh, I mean, it was the mother of his children, and her current husband who hurt him. I want to be able to help him with that, to get through that. I'm sure he wouldn't have been told about the house, so, but, well, if there _**is**_ anything you are allowed to tell me, I would appreciate it, anything that I can help with?"

"I saw the way you looked at each other," Steve began as a preamble to his answer. He already knew there were a couple of things he could not tell Becca. Only Danny could, once he knew about them. And Steve had his own questions. "You really care about him. Are you, I don't mean to be intrusive or, uh, I mean, you don't have to answer me, but are you in love with Danny?"

Becca was quiet for several seconds. Steve was about to apologize for asking when she answered, "I have been for months."

Steve stifled his surprise, not at the 'yes', but at the length of time Becca had hidden her feelings for Danny. "Months? I thought you met at Thanksgiving, when Grace broke her arm."

"We finally officially met then, yes. But I think I fell … when he donated his liver to you, after landing that crippled plane on Waikiki. I work at the hospital, so I've been around other times when he was there, but after that, I used to sit with him when he was asleep, because he had so few visitors on his visitor log, and, uhm, I thought he looked so sad and lonely, even in his sleep. I don't know how, but I know he's been hurt before, and then when I saw how much he loves his kids, and his friends, and doesn't ask anything back, I just fell for him."

"But he doesn't know it, does he?" asked Steve, having forgotten about Becca's original question.

"Well, no, of course not," Becca admitted. "I mean, till a few months ago, he was with someone else, so I didn't say anything. Besides, the lady doesn't. I mean, I was raised to let the man make the first move, because they get the thrill of the chase. If he never chases you, his feelings don't go as deep."

Steve, by now watching for headlights on his driveway, chuckled. "You may have something there. Men do love the chase. But I saw the way Danny looked at you. I've never seen that look on his face before. I think you should put on your track shoes."

"Dad always said, 'Keep chasing him until he catches you,' and it always made sense in a very strange way. I'm taking my track shoes off, because I think Danny just caught me. Weird, huh? But I'll keep them handy in case that wasn't what I thought – hoped – it was."

"I hope you don't have to put them on again," Steve said softly. "Because I have not known you long at all, but of all the not-that-many women he has dated, you are the best one for him. He deserves you."

"Thanks, Steve. I can tell you are like a brother – almost a twin! – to him, so that means a lot."

"Speaking of twins, your sis just arrived. Say a prayer that I remain able to speak." Headlights were now coming up his driveway, and he was gulping.

There was laughter from the earpiece of the phone. "I sure will! Give my … tell Danny I'll be by with Gracie, Charlie, and Angel later."

"Everyone is gathering at around 7:30. I do hope you'll be there."

"In a dress! Dad says men like women to wear dresses at least sometimes, and mom says it sure worked on dad! I talk tooooo much!"

They both laughed as they ended the call. Steve steeled himself against the onslaught of butterflies.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve thought seeing Hannah on Christmas Eve was a gift unto itself, especially since she was wearing a floaty yellow dress that skimmed just below her knees, meaning he stole a peek at the one he saw as she climbed out of her blue … she was driving a huge black Mercury Marquis, like a finished version of the one he was working on in the garage! What were the odds! Yellow floaty dress, perfect knees, and a Mercury Marquis! He was in trouble. Especially when he saw Hannah's face and the soft way she was wearing her hair, and that soft shade of lip gloss rather than lipstick. She looked so natural, so wholesome, so beautiful, so hard not to look at, so stomach butterfly inducing. He kicked himself in the shin as she walked onto the porch and he opened the door for her.

"Hello, Hannah. Please come in." Wow, five words without a Stiff McGritt anywhere! "You look very beautiful." Ooops. He had meant to only think that.

Hannah entered, and blushed, followed by a soft, "Thank you, Steve. Merry Christmas Eve … oh." She covered her mouth momentarily and said, "Hold still," and approached Steve with solid purpose. He froze, started to worry, and then she was undoing the buttons on his shirt, and rebuttoning them correctly. He felt his speech impediments zeroing in on him like missiles. Not to mention she was touching him lightly. "Let me guess," said Hannah, with her voice like music. "You are trying to dress up for me? I like your aftershave." She was smiling.

Steve cleared his throat. "Well, Beccccccca sssssaid dammarrnit, uh, you were drrrrrriii -ARGH-iving over hrere to prick mre yup it's happerning igin! Smorrrry!"

Hannah looked shyly down at the toes peeking out from her yellow sandals. "I don't bite," she said. "I promise."

Steve swallowed and nodded. He was about to reach out with his left hand and brush away the golden curling silk that had fallen across her face, when she reached up and took his hand and put it on her face her warm face her flushed warm beautiful face. "Kiss me, Steve?"

He stood there, utterly uncertain of the clarity of his hearing, wondering a thousand different things, such as exactly which place on her face she wanted him to kiss her, since he felt very willing and obliged to do this simple request, but the where was a definite problem, since had had really never touched her before, and one kiss was not going to be enough to touch all the places he had suddenly realized he hadn't kissed, especially the five hundred or so places on her lips alone. He finally lost it and gurgled, sounding strangled, "Where?"

Hannah showed herself to be a resourceful, understanding woman then. She smiled her gentle smile, and leaned in to him and kissed him on the lips, but to one side, and she nibbled so quickly and softly that Steve was not sure it had happened or was a Christmas dream. "There, for starters," she said, stepping back, with Steve's hand still cupping her blushed cheek. "If you want to."

"Yes," Steve said, and he sounded like Steve. He stepped forward and kissed her lightly, and when she returned it, and moaned that perfect little moan, they kissed harder, and longer, and Steve felt the missing piece in his life fall into place, because he was home. He was complete, and he discovered just how tightly he could hug Hannah while they kissed, and how tightly she could hug him with tanned, bare arms, and how warm her hands felt wherever they touched him, until her arms were around his neck and she leaned against him.

Steve whispered, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"I never did until I saw you."

"The same with me. Hannah," Steve said, holding her both gently and very protectively. "If that is the only kiss we ever share, I will die happy. But if that is the only kiss you want from me, tell me now so I can put a little armor on my heart, because my life just changed. I can no longer imagine life without you."

Hannah's blue eyes glistened, and she said, "I will die unhappy if that is the only kiss we share, Stiff, because my heart knows you are the man for me."

"Then we're both in trouble."

"Yes we are. I don't know you well, but my heart knows you."

"We have time to get to know each other. I need to kiss you again, and then I have to go to Tripler, and may I call you Sweetheart and ask your father if I can get to know you honorably because otherwise I might, uh, have difficulties being entirely honorable, because you definitely seem like the woman I want to be honorable with, which is a good thing, Hannah, and I have to know everything about you, like what you love and hate and cry about and what makes you laugh, and your school pictures and ring size and if June works for you?"

"You haven't asked me yet."

"I have to clear this with your father first, and then I will ask you, Hannah."

"Okay!" She giggled, and Steve's heart soared. "Now kiss me! Is it possible to drive impaired from kisses?"

"Let's find out."

Five minutes later, oxygen starved and smiling gently to one another, they finally made it out to the car, and Steve was glad he was sitting in the passenger seat because at every red light, he and Hannah held hands.


	36. Chapter 36 Observant Father

**Chapter 36** "Observant Father"

 **A/N:** (4 January 2017) Happy New Year! :-D I'm so late, but this chapter is the newest gift to everyone who reads this story! You are the best people, the best reviewers, the nicest, and I hope all of you have the most positive / blessed / happy 2017! Thank you for each review, each follow and favorite, each read!

This is not the chapter I thought it would be. This one snuck up on me while I was preparing to write what will now be Ch. 37. I learned a few things about Steve, and about Dr. Cornett! Now you get to!

Thank you CBS for giving us this reboot of Hawaii Five-0! And to the actors (including Peter Roberts for bringing Dr. Cornett to life), thank you from our huge hearts, because you are who we see and hear in our heads when we write this stuff!

 **Chapter 36** "Observant Father"

.

(Saturday, 24 December 2016, 5:32 p.m.)

.

Basking in the glow of new-found love, both Steve and Hannah arrived at Danny's room as Dr. Cornett was doing another check on his patient. Since the Doctor was tired, having had a long day, he was writing in Danny's chart while sitting in the chair across from the foot of the bed, and was therefore not immediately noticeable if someone beelined for Danny before looking around first. Steve and Hannah beelined, standing close, Hannah leaning on Steve's cast, arm around his waist, as she met the sleeping Danny.

As they had made use of the empty elevator up to Danny's room to re-affirm one another of their increasing affection, and the elevator's proximity to said room, and since Steve was entirely distracted by both Hannah and the desire to check on Danny, he had forgotten that Hannah had re-applied her lip gloss before getting out of the make-out Mercury Marquis in the parking lot, and was hastily re-applying it again after making sure all their clothes were tidy before stepping out of the elevator. Steve also felt better than he ever had before in his life, and could not wait to see Danny.

When the two entered Danny's room, Steve was immediately fixated on Danny, sleeping peacefully in the bed, covers neatly drawn up to his chest, the evidence of his recent minor-but-important surgery being the bandaging on his right hand, especially his thumb, and a number of IV bags hanging from the stand behind the bed. And monitors. Steve studied heart and breathing very carefully, which meant he missed the 2-degree tennis match Dr. Cornett was having with his eyes as he looked at the profiles of his daughter, then Steve's mouth, then his daughter, then Steve's mouth, several times before furrowing his brow and waiting to be noticed by the man with pink lip gloss smeared all over the half of his lower face that he could see. Neither had he failed to notice the close touching of bodies, and attitudes denoting warm, glowing feelings, and the one little part of upturned, creased hem of Hannah's yellow floaty dress, which she had not been wearing when she went to clean out her kindergarten class that morning.

Finally, Dr. Cornett cleared his throat, and the reaction of this time-honored announcement of presence had an immediate one on Steve and his daughter. They were suddenly two feet apart, blushing in unison, and stammering hello. "I didn't see you, Dad!"

"Dr. Cornett! Hi! Uh, how's … you are staring at me."

Dr. Cornett stood up, glad of his superior height to Steve, accepted with genuine love Hannah's hug, and then dug into his lab coat pocket for his handkerchief, which he handed to Steve with the dry comment, "Hannah's pink lip gloss. So, you and Hannah got very acquainted in a _very_ short time, I see."

Steve turned from tomato to beet red, and wiped away. "Yes, Sir, we did, Sir. That is, you see, I want to marry her."

"I … see. That was a statement."

"Oh!" fumbled Steve. He was doing this all wrong. "I meant to, see, the, what I meant to do was ask for your permission to marry Hannah, Sir."

Face impassive, the doctor turned to Hannah and asked her if she might give him and Steve a few minutes alone to talk.

"Yes, Daddy." Hannah scrammed, gracefully, closing the door behind her.

"So," said Doctor Isaac Cornett to Steve McGarrett, using his extra two inches of height and military-erect posture to full advantage. "You want to ask me if you can marry my daughter who you met all of 2 days ago."

"Yes, Sir. I know it's sudden. But we complete each other. I never felt that way about any woman before, Sir, and she feels the same about me, at least I think she does."

"So, you have asked her to marry you?"

"Nnno, I said I would ask you first, _then_ ask her. I, uh, may, uh, well, I _did_ mention June."

"Mmm." Dr. Cornett took back his handkerchief and looked briefly at the pink gloss now staining it. "Moderately chivalrous; I'm giving you a C+ for the June part, because _it_ is a few months away. In this situation, the + is what saves you. You 'complete' each other, you say. You probably don't know that I am a crack shot with small and large calibre fire arms, participate in Ren Faire dueling with a variety of swords, hunt with the bow - long, short, and compound - use a stunt light saber at Jedi Master level, and always carry a scalpel." He fixed his narrowed hazel eyes on Steve's now-wide sea-green pair, and asked, with just enough chill in his voice to further prove he was Hannah's protective father. "Just how 'complete' have you two become in two days?"

Steve coloring had paled at the recitation of Dr. Cornett's list of skills outside the hospital, but at that very direct if delicate question, his complexion went from pale to beet red to purple. He stammered. He gulped. "Oh! Oh! No, no Sir, we have not, uh, we have not on my honor Sir we have not become, uh, you know, _one_ , uh, if that is what you are asking."

"It is."

"Oh! No! Sir, I would not disrespect your daughter that way, not without asking you first. I mean, asking you if I could marry her, then asking her, and if she said yes then marrying her, and _**then**_ doing the complete thing. Really! I want to be honorable. I am an honorable man. That is why I said June, since I think I can wait that long. Sir."

Dr. Cornett merely commented, "I witnessed familiar hand holding, body touching, and that was a lot of lip gloss."

Steve tried to think of an even infinitesimally suitable reply, but settled on a guilty shrug, his own posture having become ramrod, his gaze straight ahead, as it would be for a superior officer. "We we we well, we did do some kissing, but our hands stayed I'm pretty sure they stayed honorable, because if they hadn't I'd definitely remember the where they weren't and my fried brain is full of hands and hair and waists and uh, lots of kissing. Sir."

"All that, one-handed?" Dr. Cornett finally relented, his face warmed, and put his hands on Steve's shoulders. "Never mind. I knew you two had something special the moment you two met, and obviously Hannah feels the same way for you that you do for her, so, under the proviso that you _stay_ honorable and get to know one another for a bit, you have my permission to court her, and when you propose, if she says yes, you have my blessing, but no sooner than June."

"Thank you, Sir." Steve exhaled for what felt like an hour and commented, "You are very tall, Sir."

Dr. Cornett laughed. "I know. It comes in handy. You can call me Doc for now."

Danny, smiling, sounding weak but fully awake, said, "Congratulations, Steve. I was thinking of matchmaking between you and Hannah while I was in the box. I just want you to know, I thoroughly enjoyed watching you not squirm there, when I could tell you wanted to. Can I be Best Man?"


	37. Chapter 37 Not As Planned

**Chapter 37** "Not As Planned"

 **A/N:** (11 January 2017) Thank you all for the reviews and kind words! Even the critiques. Don't ever feel shy about letting me know if you think I've gone astray or gotten my facts messed up (except cut me a tiny bit of slack where medical things are concerned, because I did make up a couple drugs in this chapter.) Thank you especially to Elise Deschat for medical help! You have been very kind!

So, this is essentially a two-for-one. It's much more like two chapters, but the place where they separated would have made for a shortie followed by a really longie, so I just kept writing. I hope you like it!

You would have had this 7 hours ago, but I spoke to someone about the way it was going, and the reaction was aghast, so I really thought I needed to change something, which is why this went so long. I've been writing non-stop since the aghast. It is now not aghasting anymore, so that's good. I was seeing 36 WHAAAAATTTT? reviews, and feeling a bit er, uncertain.

(Special gift enclosed to Nancy. You'll know it when you read it. :D )

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, I only own my plot and the OCs.

 **Chapter 37** "Not As Planned"

(Saturday, Christmas Eve, 2016, 6 p.m.)

It had been such a gentle awakening, only to realize quickly what was going on between Steve and Dr. Cornett. Danny felt like this was a gift, a beautiful gift, to watch those two men negotiate the knot that was inherent in figuring out if they were going to come to a happy place when it came to Steve being allowed to marry Hannah. It startled Danny to know that Steve and Hannah – whom Steve had not even met before the box – were now wholeheartedly exchanging lip gloss and probably a whole lot more, if Danny knew Steve the way he knew him. And yet the vibe he was getting was that Steve was holding back with Hannah, probably because they simply hadn't had time to carry things into forbidden territory.

Steve would have to behave now, because Danny happened to know that Dr. Cornett did always carry a scalpel, in a case, and would not hesitate to 'soprano' Steve if he got carried away with Hannah before he was allowed to. Danny and Dr. Cornett had fatherhood in common, and Danny knew someday he would have a conversation with a young man about Grace, and he hoped he handled it with the same aplomb his doctor had shown Steve.

Interesting to watch Steve call his prospective father-in-law "Sir" however many times he had. It was refreshing. Danny could not stop smiling.

Steve smiled the most relieved, happy smile possible when he asked if he could be his Best Man, which made Danny smile even bigger, while also sending a bright ray of sunshine and a wink to his doc. He tried to give him the 'thumbs up' signal, too, only to realize his thumb of choice was currently feeling very numb and was swathed in thick bandages, sticking out like a permanent hitchhiker, resting on a fluffy pillow. He wondered inanely where in a hospital they had come up with a _fluffy_ pillow.

"It is all still in there, right, doc?" he asked, which made Cornett laugh gleefully.

"The surgery went very well. And you woke up too soon. Can you manage a good nap before the party? It's at 7:30, in this room, and I need to check you over before you get that nap, just to be sure you are up for it."

"K. I'm sleepy. And thank you, Doc. Is it okay if I talk with Steve while you do your worst? He still hasn't answered my question."

"You bet," said the doc, who happily began recording readings.

Steve was smiling down at Danny, reaching out to gently touch his arm above the bandages. "I can't think of anyone else I'd choose to be my Best Man. You're my partner," he said, and blushed again. "You aren't mad that Hannah and I, that is – when you were in that, uh, missing, and now I'm asking her father if I can marry her?" Steve's eyes were genuinely concerned. "It was love at first sight, Danny."

Danny's pale blue eyes turned pensive. "I'm glad," he said, after pausing to consider such a thing. Rachel's face on their wedding day flashed in his mind, and he shoved the image away, because she was not spoiling his happiness for Steve and Hannah. "Speaking of Hannah, is she still waiting outside? I'd like to meet her properly now that you are, uh, pre-engaged. Oh, before you bring her in, can you tell me quickly about my kids and kitten? When can I see them again?"

"7:30 is looking good, Danny," said Doc Cornett.

"Grace is doing something for you for Christmas, and Charlie is taking a nap, and Angel is sleeping on Becca's lap. They are all coming tonight," replied Steve.

"On Becca's lap, huh? That is one … lucky … kitten," mused Danny wistfully, causing the Doc to turn away to hide his huge grin.

Steve's eyes lit up. So Danny _was_ noticing Becca the right way! He suddenly had a mental image of the two of them walking down the aisle, at the same time and place he and Hannah walked down the aisle. A double wedding. Brothers in law, and brothers-in-law! He asked, "You still have that morning coat thing you wore when the Queen gave you that medal?"

Danny was startled by the non sequitur. "Of course, you goof! Not every day someone has to get all duded up to be honored by the Queen! Why?"

"Goof. Best Man suit! Duh!"

"Oh! You gonna go that formal? Steve, your dress blues are very fetching, I'm quite sure, to any woman, but that morning coat suit thing is gonna outshine you something awful! Besides, brides pick that stuff. Please God don't put me in a bright pineapple and macaw Hawaiian shirt, 6 poofy leis, and flip flops?"

"They aren't engaged yet," reminded Doc Cornett as he wrote down numbers and pulled out his stethoscope to listen to Danny's breathing. "And Hannah is classier than that. I hope."

Steve grinned at the image of Danny dressed like that. "I could go with that," he quipped, then went to the door and ushered in Hannah, who slipped around to Steve's left side so she could squeeze his hand.

"Hi, Stiff," she said to Steve, and gave him a quick kiss, before turning to Danny. "And I am so glad to meet you! Becca talks about you a lot," she practically sang, because she had one of those voices that naturally sound like music.

Danny had heard Hannah call Steve 'Stiff', and hastily glanced at Dr. Cornett, who was grinning again, but not reaching for his scalpel. Okay, he'd ask Steve later about the nickname. "I bet Steve has barely said a word about me," he smiled, but in a very friendly way. "Which is good, because you two had uh better things to, er, you look lovely, by the way, and hang it all, you two look wonderful together. I'm so happy for you both! Give the Best Man a chaste kiss, since I can't come to you."

Dr. Cornett's voice floated out, "They aren't engaged yet," but he sounded happy.

Hannah laughed and gave Danny the requested kiss. "Formalities. Besides, he isn't in surgery for low torso wounds, so that means things went well!"

"Hannah!" said three shocked men.

Her giggle sounded like a bliss-inducing delicate piano arpeggio and she buried her head in Steve's left side.

Danny grinned. "I like her, Steve."

"As long as you like Becca more," said Steve and Dr. Cornett, as if they had practiced their unison for an hour, then looked at each other, startled anew, because they realized each was thinking the same thing about Danny and Becca.

H50 H50 H50

With a tiny dose of sedative, Danny had fallen back to sleep, to be rested enough for the rigors of even a small Christmas gathering. Dr. Cornett had ushered Hannah and Steve out into the hall, then apologetically sent Hannah to call and find out if David and family were safely picked up from the airport, with general news on how everyone was doing. He needed to talk to Steve in private.

The hug the doctor gave his daughter was one that fully expressed that he loved her and knew she would not be his much longer. She was in love with a good man. Her hug expressed silently but eloquently that she loved her father, and thanked him for raising her so well, and allowing her to know true love when she found it. Novels and songs were shared in those long seconds before Hannah kissed her father on the cheek, and said, simply, "I love you, Dad."

Steve had looked on, feeling like an intruder on such an intimate moment, but Dr. Cornett patted him on the shoulder when they watched Hannah walk down the corridor toward the elevators. The doc pulled out his handkerchief, and almost wiped his eyes with pink lip gloss before Steve stopped him, and gave him a clean Kleenex. "I promise I will take good care of her, and love her, Sir. Doc."

Dr. Cornett nodded, mopped his face, and thanked Steve for the Kleenex. "It's been such a long day, with bad news about Mo, and good news about Danny, and now about Hannah and you." He shook his head. "I'm an emotional man, Steve. I hold in a lot, but some days, I can't."

Steve listened to the shakiness at the edges of Doc Cornett's voice, and watched as he pulled himself together. Steve kept his left hand on the doc's shoulder. "If you are apologizing to me for caring, don't. It's a good trait. It makes you such a good father and doctor."

"But I can't save everyone. God knows I try, but I lose some."

Steve felt his throat go dry. "Are you talking about Danny?"

Cornett's head snapped up from his pondering of life and death. Steve held his breath. "No! No. No no. I was thinking about Mo."

Steve started to breathe again. His heartrate would take a minute to return to normal. "Five-0 will be at his funeral. He helped Danny. If Danny is up to it, I'm sure even he will want to be there."

"I think Mo might like that." Cornett huffed out a breath and ushered Steve into his office. "Now, about Danny." He was under control again, and ready to proceed.

Steve took a seat in front of the desk, and listened to Danny's doctor explain everything to him about tests, results, and potential problems.

"So far the tests are coming back the way I hoped they would. He's had this strain of pneumonia bacteria recently, and the antibiotic we are using is the one we used then, since it worked then. Now, the problem is his thumb." The Doc went on to explain about sepsis. "It's tricky. Right now, he is being given a broad spectrum antibiotic that doesn't argue with the one for the pneumonia. But, sepsis can be sneaky. It all depends on what exact bacteria or plural is causing it. We gave him a tetanus booster shot as a precaution, because that's what we do." He went on to explain that some bacteria work differently, and the tests for those, which he called 'anaerobes', take from seven to ten days to culture. "Tetanus is one of those, which is why we gave him the booster. He's up to date on that one, but sepsis is potentially so serious, we need to keep him in the hospital for a few days, and watch his organs closely. He could look and feel better in a very short time, then be suddenly overwhelmed by something that is building up, that we aren't treating, and didn't culture. So, we were very thorough. His antibiotic cocktail is strong and should work. My one fear is that he may have been exposed to an antibiotic resistant strain of something, and then we and Danny have a battle ahead of us. He isn't out of the woods yet."

Steve felt somber. "When will you know if, uh, we have to battle?"

Cornett leaned back in his comfy office chair, looking for all the world like he desperately needed the comfort right now. "When we get the cultures back, and if his organs don't go south on us. If the sepsis recedes, and he doesn't respond adversely to the antibiotics. They have side effects, and some can't tolerate them. But Danny has had most of these before." He rubbed his eyes, and showed strain. "Honestly, Steve, I feel confident that he will be okay, soon. Gut feeling. But he's been through so much, and I don't know how he will react physically or emotionally to what Stan did to him. PTSD is a probability, not simply a possibility."

Steve nodded his head. He was worried about the probability of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder rearing its head. "He's lost his … what besides his kids and friends hasn't he lost? Car, house, possessions, ex-wife and whatever Stan is, his hair. Trapped in a confined space for days. Starved. Claustrophobia and darkness. Did you see the note he wrote in that notebook in the container? He thought he would die in there."

"I saw it."

"And we don't know if Stan … did anything Mo wasn't present for. That's my fear, and I know Danny. He's going to think of that."

Steve watched the doc suck in a slow breath, then hold it so long he was just starting to be concerned, when he let it out. "Yeah," he finally said. "Unfortunately, only Stan can tell us. Because it's been too long for the tests to be conclusive. Physically, there is no evidence. But that doesn't necessarily mean there never was any."

Steve's emotions were not in synch with it being Christmas Eve, not now. "I need a drug that will make Stan tell me the truth."

Dr. Cornett nodded. "I anticipated this. To prevent an adverse reaction, I called Queens Hospital and the Halawa Infirmary to find out what drugs Stan is being given for his gunshot wounds and broken tooth and … sore toe." Steve watched the doctor open a locked drawer in his desk and pull out two thin syringes, side by side in a clear case. One syringe had an orange cap over the needle, and the other was white. "There is no true truth serum, but there are drugs to make the mind find it a lot harder to lie. 2 cc of the orange one should be enough to lower Stan's ability to fabricate. 1 cc more is okay, after 20 minutes, if 2 isn't enough. Use the same number of white cc's you used with orange to reverse the effects when you're done. Stan should sleep for an hour afterwards, and not remember you using the orange syringe, or what you talked about with it in his system. The rest of the white should be put in the orange hypo, to break up the drug in it, then shoot it down a drain. Bring those back to me and I'll get rid of them. I would hide them in your cast when you get to Halawa."

Steve took the small case and tested how it felt in his cast. It felt best when slipped into the top of it, against his bicep. "Can they test for this? I don't want to get you in trouble."

"If they know exactly what to test for, and you don't use the white syringe. The orange syringe uses a binder to combine two very innocuous drugs, neither of which would raise a red flag for being in his blood. But add the binder and you get a whole different drug. The white one quickly breaks up the binder, then itself breaks down too fast to be picked up."

"What about the binder?"

"Leaves no trace, especially since it is a binder in many drugs, and therefore likely to be present in Stan's blood at this moment. You have an hour before the party starts, if you are in a hurry."

Steve stood up, and nodded. "I am. And I thank you. Please tell Hannah I will see her at the party, and … I need a driver."

Dr. Cornett tossed Steve his keys. "Tell Hannah to use my car. It doesn't attract as much attention as hers. I'll see you and Hannah at the party."

A silent conversation went on between the two men, which ended when Steve said, quietly, "I won't involve Hannah in this."

Dr. Cornett nodded. "I know. I trust you."

H50 H50 H50

Steve and Hannah still held hands at stoplights, but they did not kiss. They were quiet, and there was some tension in the air, because of where they were going, not between them. Steve had the syringes in his cargo pants pocket, on his left calf. But as they arrived at Halawa, he slipped the unopened case under the passenger's seat. He had decided on what he would do.

Inside Halawa, Hannah waited with others who were accompanying visitors, but not themselves visiting. She kissed Steve softly on the lips, then watched him walk down the hall after having been searched by guards, as was standard procedure. His gun was taken and locked up, but nothing else was of note.

Steve calculated his actions carefully, and decided he could live with what he might do, if it came to it.

The infirmary held only one prisoner, and therefore one guard, who was familiar to Steve. That was lucky. "Camera still broken?" asked Steve, and at the guard's nod. "But the mics still work, so don't worry."

Steve asked him to keep near, anyway. "Stan doesn't like me, and I don't like him. I would rather not even be here. Man, I could sure use coffee. Bet you could too."

The guard smiled and looked at Stan, apparently asleep, and made a shhhh sound and gesture, and whispered, "I'll get us some from the break room."

"Thanks, man. I'll stay by the desk here."

While the guard was gone, Steve turned and looked at Stan's bay. He was not hooked to machines, but his wrists were cuffed to the bed rails. One cuff was considered standard protocol, if the prisoner was considered mobile. If considered belligerent, both wrists might be cuffed. Obviously, Stan had proved himself less than a model prisoner. _What a surprise_ , thought Steve.

Stan woke up, still loopy from drugs. He saw his visitor across the room, at the guard's desk. "Steve-o!" he greeted him, slurring his word slightly. "Come on over!"

Steve moved slowly over toward Stan's bed. "You look so comfortable."

"On the good stuff, Steve-o; feeling no pain. Thought I might see you. Let me guess. You want to know if I ****** Danny, right?"

"Yup." There was no point in mincing words. He hoped to God that Stan answered that he had not further touched Danny.

Stan grinned. "I will tell you this, Steve-o." Stan enunciated as clearly as he could, while keeping his voice to almost a whisper. "I will remember my quality time alone with Danny for the rest of my life –there's nothing you can do about it. For … the … rest … of … my … life," he hissed, smiling broadly, before he began to laugh louder and louder.

Steve sighed. He had hoped it would not turn out this way. He had made up his mind what he would do if Stan answered the way he did. "I see." Steve tugged a latex glove from inside his cast, and pulled it on, He then withdrew a small case of earplugs out of his cast – standard issue for anyone who used a firearm – and a plastic evidence bag, no bigger than a Ziploc sandwich baggie, which he turned inside out.

"Wh-what are you doing?" stammered Stan, eyes wide with fear.

"Considering puking."

Stan's face contorted, and he struggled as best he could, as Steve held up one earplug and stepped one step closer to Stan's bedside. Then, unexpectedly, Stan gasped, his body became slack, his eyes turned glassy and rolled back. Steve felt for a pulse, and found none. Steve's brow furrowed, but he hastily stashed baggie, earplugs, and glove back into the cast over his bicep. "Guard!" Steve yelled. "Guard! Code blue!"

The guard came running, shoving two sloshing coffees onto his desk. He hit a button, and an alarm sounded. "What happened?" He was already listening to Stan's chest, and feeling for a pulse. "He's not breathing, no heartbeat. I'll do compressions, you do the breathing."

"He had something like a seizure, and he suddenly went limp! We were just talking!" Steve could not believe he was giving Stan the breath of life.

It was only a minute before the other medics arrived, and they took over. Steve backed away. "I don't know what happened," he kept saying.

He rode with Hannah to Tripler, of all places, following the Medic Unit, and Steve was pushed aside when Stan was taken beyond the doors to the ER. A guard from Halawa stayed near him as Steve stood there, shielding Hannah, wondering what to do. He'd been prepared to murder the man who, according to the doctors, seemed to have suffered either an aortic aneurysm or stroke, or both. Either way, he wasn't responding to anything, and surgery was being hastily planned.

Steve called Dr. Cornett, at the party, and told him what had happened. "Please tell Danny and everyone we'll be there soon as they say I can go."

Dr. Cornett came down to the ER, gave him a quick pat on the arm and Hannah a quick hug before disappearing into the ER. He was gone awhile, and Steve knew the news was bad when he returned. He came to Steve and the guard. "Stan is brain dead."

Steve's hand was filled with Hannah's small one, and she leaned against him. "He can't be."

"He is." Dr. Cornett fixed his eyes on Steve's, and Steve shook his head ever so slightly.

A Halawa medic and guard came out and took Steve's statement, and the medic patted his good arm. "Okay. Doc is thinking blood clot, stopped his heart or brain. He's dead. Surgery can't reverse brain dead. He's going to the morgue. Autopsy has to wait till Monday, since tomorrow is Christmas."

Steve nodded, still shaken by the turn of events.

"Can I go?"

"Oh sure. We didn't hear nothing weird on the recording in the infirmiry."

Dr. Cornett put an arm around Steve, and another around Hannah. "Let's go up to extremely low key party. You should be with your friends."

H50 H50 H50

Danny's eyes lit up as Steve approached him. He was wearing red Santa-suit pajamas. "Aren't these great? Grace found them for me!"

Steve wrapped Danny in a hug, and held on. "Merry Christmas, Danno."

Danny immediately realized something was very wrong. "What is it, Steve?"

"I … I should really tell you later."

"No, Steve, tell me now. You're upset." It was whispered, but still the mood Steve had brought with him was attracting attention.

He watched Steve look around at Grace, Charlie, Chin, Kono, Abby, Adam, Becca, Hannah, and back to Angel, who was sitting on Danny's shoulder, playing with the tail on his red Santa cap. He was looking the most, though, at Grace and Charlie.

Dr. Cornett distracted the others, meaning mainly the kids, so Steve could tell Danny in relative privacy.

Danny felt Angel sidle up next to his right ear, while Steve leaned down and whispered in his left, "We can't let the kids know yet, Danny. And, I'm very sorry, or, I'm not really sorry, but Stan … is dead. He had a stroke or aneurysm or something. He's dead, Danny."

Danny was stunned. Angel was immediately pawing his chin, purring and doing anything to calm him, for he realized how anxious and scared he suddenly felt. He had to get his kids through yet another loss, while he was still processing all the things he had not yet allowed himself to more than realize he would think about later. Another blow, and what a strange blow. He felt like he should be celebrating, but he wasn't.

In a weird, not-entirely-bad way, Life had struck again.

He grabbed Steve's hand and gave it a squeeze before holding Angel to his Santa Suited chest. "We'll tell the kids on Monday. Not before. Steve? That's the right thing, right?" He had never been one to ask for help before, or confirmation of his decisions, but this seemed the right time, and definitely the right person.

Steve nodded, startled to be asked. He knew Danny didn't do that often. "I think so. I'll tell the others. The Doc knows, and so does Hannah."

The detective did the math quicker than Danny could follow his own thoughts. "You were there, weren't you? And Hannah was with you, and that's where Dr. C went … he's here. Stan is here at Tripler." It made him nervous, and he didn't know why.

Dr. Cornett didn't like the numbers he was seeing on Danny's monitors, so he quietly called his wife to come get the kids. He gathered Gracie and Charlie close, and whispered, "Your Daddy is getting tired, and we need to let him rest so you can see him again tomorrow. Say goodbye for now, and let's let him rest and sleep."

Charlie gave a huge yawn, and Gracie tucked him against her side. All the other adults had gravitated towards the bed, and were quietly talking. Nobody was smiling. Gracie knew something was up, but also knew now was not the time to ask what it was. She was in full "protect Danno" mode, so she joined the others, with Charlie and Dr. Cornett at Danny's bed, and said goodnight and received a huge hug.

Danny kissed Grace on the forehead, and thanked her again for the perfect pajamas. "I'm not taking them off until the hospital makes me." He smiled brightly, if tiredly. When Charlie was lifted up to give him a hug and kiss, he returned them and ruffled his little boy's hair. "This little Tiger needs a nap before gift opening at midnight, right Tiger?"

A yawn was his answer, and that brought genuine laughter from the adults. It was Hannah who offered to take the kids down to wait for Mrs. Cornett to arrive. She would be back, Danny knew. She was Steve's other rock, now.

For the kids' benefit, most of the adults left, heading for a different parking lot, until they saw that Hannah and the kids had boarded their elevator down. Then they beelined back to Danny's room. Becca was petting Angel, who was rubbing her head against Danny's stubbly chin.

Danny felt overwhelmed. He looked at them all and said, in the least Danny-like voice any of them had heard, "I know there's more, and no I do not want to hear it now, but … I don't know how much more I can take." He used Angel as a shield and began to weep.


	38. Chapter 38 Intermission

**Chapter 38** "Intermission"

 **A/N:** (20 January 2017) Thank you for your reviews and reads and everything! I really don't deserve you and your kind words, but I thank you wholeheartedly for them. You make me feel happy about writing, definitely like I want to keep doing this.

This chapter came like pulling teeth, seriously. I don't know why, but it gave me massive problems, probably because it doesn't really do anything except impart knowledge we already know, but some of the characters don't. So call this a necessary bridge. Things will pick up in following chapters.

I adored the scene in the episode tonight, Danny giving Steve's driving test instructor some pointers, and the you-knew-it-was-coming work call during the test, resulting in one scared-bleepless instructor! They are getting the chemistry back this season. Danny can definitely read Steve's mind better than Steve can read Danny's, which is so cute! Has anyone else noticed Kono keeps wearing flowy blouses, not the tight ones she usually wears? I wonder if she's about to announce she and Adam are pregnant. I don't think Grace Park is, but what do I know?

CBS still owns the show, and allows us to play with it.

 **Chapter 38** "Intermission"

(Saturday, Christmas Eve 2016, 9:30 p.m.)

Steve gathered Danny, Angel and all, into an embrace, while looking worriedly at Dr. Cornett, who slipped quietly out of the room, only to return a minute later. Steve by then was assuring Danny that he was the strongest person he knew, and they would help him through everything, a sentiment echoed by everyone who was now crowded around Danny's bed.

Becca was rubbing the back of Danny's bandaged hand. "It's been barely twelve hours since you were rescued, so of course things are still overwhelming. But you are strong, Danny. It just doesn't feel like it right now. Give yourself time. Let us help you."

Danny was still hiding behind Angel, embarrassed to have broken down in front of everyone. He didn't feel brave. It was one of those rare times when he was on the verge of panic and did not even want to have to feel brave. But he managed to get the tears to stop, and to say what he thought everyone wanted him to say. "I'm sorry. I'll be fine. Like always. Thanks, Steve, everyone. I'll be fine. I'm sorry to wreck the party."

Which of course set off a chorus of denials that he had wrecked the party. A nurse slipped into the room and handed a syringe to Dr. Cornett, who was able to slowly administer the sedative he had requested, without being seen by Danny, with the help of Steve stepping back from the embrace, while keeping his good hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny removed the nasal cannula just long enough to blow his nose, then replaced it. He cleared his throat, and still would not look at anyone but Angel. "I'm glad Stan is dead, so help me God. But how do I tell especially Charlie? He still calls him 'Daddy' -Oh, God, and Rachel. Am I the one who is supposed to tell her she's a pregnant widow, or is that … someone else's … job?" His voice grew smaller and less anxious, until he had trouble holding himself up. He looked confused. "Drugs…? Please no more … dru…drugs," he managed to say, but the 's' trailed off into a long sigh of resignation. He closed his eyes as Steve slid his arm behind Danny's head and eased him back on the pillow, making sure he was comfortable before drying the tears from his closed eyes. Angel stood with her front paws on the white fleece color of Danny's otherwise red Santa pajamas, then licked and rubbed his chin and settled down like a miniature sphinx to guard and comfort him, shifting just enough for Becca to bring the pale flannel blanket up to cover Danny's chest, which the kitten then held down with her furry little rump.

"Doc, is he okay?" asked Kono, clutching Adam's hands. He was standing slightly to one side behind her, with one hand on her shoulder, the other around her waist. "The news about Stan isn't going to set him back, right?"

"Physically, no. Emotionally, he hasn't even begun to recover. He needs rest for that." He shook his head, though. "He's thinking about everyone but himself. He is shaken by everything he hasn't yet had a chance to process. He's going to need all of you to help him know that he can take the time he needs to feel strong again. He's not there yet."

"We'll help him," said Steve. "He won't have to carry this alone."

"He has all of us," assured Chin, who stood with his right arm around Abby's shoulders. He then asked in a very quiet voice, "What did happen with Stan?"

Steve had been expecting the question. He smoothed Danny's forehead, feeling for any fever, but mostly wanting to remain in physical contact. He really did not want to leave Danny's side, but he had to tell the others what had happened to Stan, and the proper place to do that was not in Danny's room. The Doc and Becca were in the same place, understanding what Steve needed, and how he didn't want to leave Danny's side. Becca said, "I'll stay here. You can tell me later." The Doc said, "Let's go to the meeting room by my office. Becca, when Hannah returns, send her there."

Becca nodded, and came around the bed to be by Danny's uninjured hand, which she held after she sat down. She reached up and gave Angel a pat as the others left the room. When they had gone, closing the door behind them, she began to hum, then sing very softly, "Silent Night", since it was one of Danny's favorite Christmas Carols.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve followed everyone to the meeting room a couple doors from Dr. Cornett's office. Everyone else filed into the room, but the doctor stopped Steve and whispered, "Did you use those drugs on Stan?"

"No. They are in the case, under the passenger seat of your car."

He nodded, looked about to ask something else, but changed his mind. "Okay."

It did not take Steve long to explain a very edited version of what had happened to Stan Edwards. He was not about to admit to anyone yet that he had been about to kill the man who had hurt Danny. "He was on heavy painkillers, loopy, saying things, making no sense, and he started to laugh really hard about his 'time alone' with Danny, and how he'd never forget it, and I felt sick. He asked me what I was doing, because I was trying to find a sick bag, then he gasped, and … died! I called for the guard, code blue, because he wasn't breathing, no pulse, and it only took seconds for the guard to arrive, and we started CPR, but nothing. The medics were there quick because the guard pushed an alarm. They took over. They used defibrillators, but nothing. He didn't respond at all."

Dr. Cornett gave the blow by blow of what had happened in the ER. "He didn't respond to anything, like Steve said. The doctors working on him did a clinical exam and brain scan, and he was brain dead. He was gone. We could have kept his organs alive awhile, but he had no brain activity at all. He could not donate his organs because he had … physical reasons to not be able to. He was pronounced dead in the ER, but he probably died before Steve got finished calling for the guard. Autopsy is scheduled for Monday."

Chin pondered. "Heart attack, or stroke?"

Dr. Cornett shrugged sadly. "He had been in surgery for the minor bullet wounds to his leg and shoulder, so there is the possibility of a blood clot forming. Or he may have had a weakness in a major vein. We'll know for sure on Monday."

Chin sighed. "Steve, that means you never got a chance to ask him anything about Danny."

"I didn't have to ask; Stan brought it up." He blew out a heavy breath. "Like I said, he was feeling no pain, and loopy. He correctly guessed why I was there, and said, 'I will remember my time alone with Danny for the rest of my life.' Which turned out to not be very long."

Kono was staring down at the table they all were sitting around. "So we still don't know. And never will."

Steve spoke up firmly. "I think we do know. If he had done anything else, he would have bragged. He knew he was up on heavy charges already – assault, kidnapping, attempted murder, murder - so one more admission wouldn't make his sentence any worse. He would have wanted us to know. Especially since he could have later denied the truth of what he said because he was so drugged when he said it. No, he said what he did because it was all he could say, to keep us wondering, to keep Danny wondering."

Dr. Cornett agreed with Steve. "All my physical tests were inconclusive. But, frankly, if Stan had done the worst, the tests would have picked up on it. There would have been some kind of evidence, maybe not visible to us, but visible to the tests."

"Well, I'm glad he's dead," stated Kono, fiercely, and Adam reached over and took her hand in his.

Everyone agreed. Steve was the last one to say it. "And who does have to tell Rachel?" he asked Dr. Cornett.

Hannah picked that moment to enter the room, and went immediately to Steve's side. He vacated his chair so she could sit down, then put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. She reached up and took his hand, and turned her face to kiss the back of it. Which everyone noticed.

The doctor nodded in greeting to his daughter, then answered Steve, "The doctor assigned to Stan's case when he entered the ER. Or the leader of the team in there. Possibly the lead Medic from the Halawa infirmary. Danny definitely doesn't have to inform Rachel of anything."

"That's good," said Kono, and kissed Adam's hand. Her mind had shifted away from Stan and Rachel, now that she safely could. "So, Boss, anything you want to tell us?"

Steve blushed. "Oh, well, now is not the time – that is, uh …."

Hannah blushed. "He hasn't asked me, yet."

Dr. Cornett smiled like the male version of Mona Lisa. "But I gave him permission."

"Ohhhhhhh!" chorused everyone but Steve, Hannah, and Dr. Cornett.

"Does Danny know?" asked Chin, who had risen and given Steve a hearty pat on the back.

"He does! He's going to be my Best Man, if Hannah says yes. You will stand with me too, I hope?"

"Congratulations!" chorused the same group of people. "Danny has something to look forward to!"

Hannah was out of her chair, too, being hugged by everyone, already welcomed into the Ohana.

Steve called everything to order eventually, because he got hugged too. "Let's set up a schedule for spending time with Danny. I don't want him to wake up alone."

After everyone had picked their visiting times, they returned to Danny's room to wish him a quiet goodnight, while Dr. Cornett asked Hannah if he could have his car keys back. "I just need to fetch something from the car," he explained, giving her a fatherly hug, while his eyes found Steve's. There was a question in them Steve knew he would be asked later. Why hadn't he used the syringes?

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Steve stayed with Danny all through the night, filled with his partner's steady but troubled sleep. The first nightmare had slipped lightly through before Dr. Cornett and his daughters had gone home to their midnight family gift exchange. Danny's monitors showed that he was in the grip of a bad dream just after Angel, wearing her white halter, had awakened and begun to purr and comfort Danny. Dr. Cornett happened to be checking on his patient, and frowned. Medications were adjusted after that, to keep his sleep more restful, but when Steve was alone with Danny and his guard kitten around 2 a.m., he was awakened by Danny's tiny mumbled moan, followed predictably by Angel's determined ministrations. Danny did not fully awaken, but it proved to be the pattern of the night. Steve held Danny's hand until morning, helping Angel sooth him, no matter who was there to help keep vigil.

Becca had come to be with Danny, also bringing Angel's breakfast in a covered bowl. She spread a waterproof mat on Danny's bedside cart and put the little bowl down, and Angel was amazingly careful not to disturb Danny as she let Becca pick her up and plop her gently onto the table. Steve, who had been almost dozing, was now awake, sniffing the air. He whispered, "There is definitely some tuna in that. It smells vaguely tuna-ish. I didn't realize how much cat food smells."

Becca smiled. "I brought you something, too." But before she fished out her food offering to Steve, she filled up a water bowl for Angel and set it on the waterproof table covering. Angel accepted it with an interrupted 'I can purr with my mouth full' gratitude as she continued to scarf down the food that really did smell like it had tuna in there somewhere.

Steve reached over and petted his hand along Angel's back, which arched upwards in kitty bliss. "She is so thin. Is she okay?" he asked, for the first time feeling worry about the kitten.

Becca nodded. "She is underweight, because she should have gotten two packets of food a day. But Danny had no way of knowing that, and one was enough to keep her healthy. She's making up for lost time now. The vet said she may be a little lethargic as she adjusts to everything new. We did call the Bartletts, and she is up to date on her kitten vaccinations, so the vet has her scheduled for another check in a month."

Danny began to stir, which gave Angel just enough time to finish her food at take some laps at her water bowl before climbing atop her person as Becca wheeled the tray to the side. Angel took her place on Danny's collar and put her front paws on either side of his stubbly chin, purring happily, while Steve and Becca both touched Danny on his shoulders. Becca put her hand on his bandaged one, and Steve slid his hand over Danny's uninjured one.

"Mmmmm." Danny wasn't entirely aware of what he was saying yet, having not awakened enough to engage his filter. "My favorite people, next to my kids, and my Angel." He got his eyelids to half-staff and half-smiled, a little more awake. "Merry Christmas. Angel smells like tuny-fish."


	39. Chapter 39 Some Enchanted Christmas

**Chapter 39** "Some Enchanted Christmas"

 **A/N:** (25 January 2017) Thank you for the thoughtful reviews, and all the time you take to just read these chapters. I appreciate your kindness so much, truly I am humbled by it.

This is my thanks to you. I'm a little bit proud of this chapter, and happy to share it with you. I was inspired by the song "Some Enchanted Evening", which I think suits a certain couple.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

.

 **Chapter 39** "Some Enchanted Christmas"

.

(Christmas morning 2016, 6 a.m.)

.

By the time he was fully awake, Danny realized it was not yet even sunrise on Christmas morning, making him slide a little more into his real life again. This was the time he would have been getting up at home, to begin preparing a special breakfast for his kids before they went to church, waiting to open gifts after they got home from Mass. His tree would be surrounded by carefully wrapped presents for Gracie and Charlie, and last but not least, he would have given Grace the pearl necklace and earrings, complete with little diamonds he had picked out for her this year.

He smiled bigger at Steve and Becca, and after Steve let go of his good hand, he petted Angel and enjoyed the feeling of her softness and happiness. He had not asked why he was being allowed to have Angel with him, but he was glad she was.

"I have a huge favor to ask of you, Steve, and maybe Becca could help, if it isn't too much," he said, while evading the worst of Angel's tuny-breath since she was intent on licking his face above his stubble, which was now a bit too long to comfortably lick.

"Anything, Buddy," replied Steve.

"Of course!" Becca was delighted at being included in this special favor, whatever it was.

Danny suddenly wasn't as interesting to Angel as was the tip of his Santa hat, so Angel switched from adoring her human to playing, bouncing all over the pillow to find a new way to attack the white fluffy tip of the hat. Danny was grinning like a happy idiot.

"Obviously I didn't get a chance to wrap the kids' presents, and I just wondered if you two could do that? Maybe? The gifts are in big bags in my bedroom closet, and I got new wrapping paper which is on the top shelf of the hall closet upstairs. Grace's presents go in the red snowflake paper, and Charlie's go in the blue …." His voice trailed off as he noticed the stricken looks on both Becca's and Steve faces. Something big was definitely wrong with the request, and he swallowed and waited to be told what it was. He knew it wasn't the favor.

Steve hadn't expected this moment to come so soon. Of course he would have been glad to wrap gifts for Danny's kids, but there wasn't anything to wrap, except the BB8 at Kono's house.

Steve exchanged a tense look with Becca, who bit her lower lip the tiniest bit as she turned to watch Danny's monitor readings begin to signal the return of his anxiety.

Danny watched them, and went very still. Angel sat with the tail of his hat in her mouth, then snuggled up against Danny's head and began her soothing purr.

Danny watched Steve clear his throat, and he put his hand on Danny's shoulder. "You have to stay as calm as you can, Danny. This is the news we were trying to avoid telling you until later."

Danny knew this was the bad thing he had sensed earlier. "I'll try," he murmured, and started working on keeping his breathing even.

"Stan, uhm, blew up your house."

Slowly, Danny took the statement in, and his monitors reflected how he was reacting to the news. He was working through the layers of what Steve said, and his and Becca's expressions. They weren't telling him his house was damaged. They were telling him his house was … destroyed.

Gone.

No Christmas presents for Gracie and Charlie. No pearls. No anything. Baby pictures, crayon and marker drawings, no more favorite red spatula for flipping pancakes, no genuine pizza stone from his Mom, who had gotten it from Mike's in Jersey, no crazy sock collection Grace had been adding to every year since he could remember.

Gone.

He swallowed. He breathed. He could not think of anything to say at first, until he finally thought of two questions. "Do the kids know? Was anyone hurt?"

Steve answered, his voice as gentle as Danny had ever heard it. He was worried, Danny could tell, so he kept concentrating on breathing. "Gracie knows. Charlie doesn't yet. No one was hurt. Duke sprained his wrist, but it is almost healed already."

Danny remembered the time in the box when he had felt an explosion. Two days ago, if he remembered right. "I felt it, I think. 'Blew up,'" he repeated. "I felt an explosion, but it couldn't have been that. So … it's all gone?" He felt his feelings withdrawing into himself, hiding until he could process them alone, the way he always handled things this big and difficult.

Steve felt a lump in his throat, watching Danny push the pain down so he could deal with it in private. "Your things are gone, Danny, but we are already getting copies of photos and things together. Let us help you." Steve and Becca were both keeping in physical touch with Danny.

It was a slow process, Danny's reaction, until he realized it wasn't just his things that were gone. "My kids," he said in a dangerously quiet voice. "He hurt my kids. Their things were at the house, too."

Steve was watching Becca's tears streaming unheeded down her face, because she was watching Danny's monitors and his face, alternately. He watched Angel, the tip of the hat still in her mouth, crawl down the pillows, dragging off the hat, until she was sitting on Danny's collar again, rubbing the Santa hat on his face. Steve said, "He's dead, Danny. Stan can never hurt them, or you, again."

Danny knew this was true. But he knew something else was true, as well. "Rachel still can. And she will."

"We will stop her."

"I will stop her," countered Danny, quietly forceful. There was something very dangerous about Danny speaking this quietly.

Suddenly Steve remembered the medal he had found in the wreckage. He was wearing it around his neck. He whipped it off one handed, and held it out to Danny. "I did find this. I've been guarding it for you."

Danny looked at it, and finally reached for it. "St. Michael." He held it by the chain, still warm from being worn by Steve. "Th-this means a lot." He slipped it over his head, and settled it under his pajama's collar, only to promptly be fished out and investigated by Angel, still holding the tip of the hat in her mouth. "Thank you, Steve." He sighed, and his voice caught. "I only wish it had been Gracie's pearls. I got her … I got her a pearl necklace and earrings set for … Christmas. Her first real diamonds, too. Set me back a bit, but worth …." His voice could not continue.

Becca wiped her eyes without even noticing it. "Danny," she said, hopefully. "I have a pearl necklace, with earrings to match. You could give her that!"

"No, I can't take your pearls."

"But you can! I want you to! Gracie told me how much the jewelry you give her means to her! - She told me! She even said, when I redid her cast a few days ago, that she wondered what it would be this year, and was sad because she feared we might not find you in time. She told me at the vet that nothing mattered anymore but that you were back, and would be okay. Nothing mattered but having you back."

"She said that?" Danny thought about it. "But … your pearls must mean something to you …."

"They do, but I got them for myself after graduating nursing school, so, I mean, they didn't come from Dad or Mom, and Gracie will miss not having … from her Dad! Do you put them in a pouch or a case?"

"Uh. The case, but … are you sure?" Danny so badly did not want to have nothing special to give Gracie.

"I'm sure, Danny," said Becca, and before she even realized it, she had bent across and kissed his cheek, catching the edge of his lip because only at the last moment had she realized she was aiming for his lips, and slightly changed course.

Danny had reflexively returned the kiss, catching mostly Becca's cheek. He blushed and smiled and realized Christmas could be saved. "Thank you, Becca. I will replace your necklace, I promise." Then he turned to Steve, and pulled off the St. Michael's medal. "If we could shorten the chain, I could give this to Charlie! It works for firemen and po-weese men!"

Steve took it – swinging it high over Angel, who took a swipe at the odd metal toy - and studied the chain. "I've got the tools to do it at the house, uh, and can clean it too, you know, buff it a bit, but I don't have a box."

"He won't care about the box; Charlie would rather I pull it out of my pocket, um, yeah, these pajamas have a pocket! And Kono still has the BB8! As for the house, well, it was just a house. Nobody was hurt. Stuff is stuff. And the car is more Steve's than mine." He added hastily, "Not that it's okay to ruin Steve's sortof car. It is toast, too, right?"

Becca bit her lip, which started Danny's brows furrowing slightly, but Steve was calm when he agreed that the car was toast. He simply did not explain the circumstances. One thing at a time, as much as possible. Danny had not been nearly as devastated by the news of the house loss as Steve had expected, but it was probably still sinking in. Luckily, salvaging Christmas for his kids had taken priority in his thoughts.

Becca took charge of Angel as soon as the nurse came to check on Danny. Angel was wearing her halter, and Becca attached the leash, and she and Steve had to clear out of the room as Danny was scheduled for a bath after his med check and breakfast of Cream of Wheat cereal, a tiny fruit cup, and an equally tiny strawberry jello. Danny suggested Steve take the chance to shorten the chain on the medal, and so Becca drove him home, then hurried to her apartment to get her pearls. Angel had managed to keep Danny's Santa hat, and she guarded it like she guarded Danny.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Danny was quiet as he was checked, medicated, and given time to eat his amazingly delicious breakfast. He knew it would be awhile before he could even look at a jar of peanut butter, even the good kind. It was the one thing in his house he would not miss, he thought, skipping over the realization so quickly he barely let the thought register before backing away from anything to do with the house. He asked the nurse to draw back his window curtains so he could watch the sky brighten as the sun came up. Christmas morning was dawning like a flower opening to receive the rays of light.

Danny thought about how much light and Christmas went together. He was free. He was safe. He was healing. His efforts on the incentive spirometer were very good, and the red line on his thumb was already almost gone. He hardly needed to cough, and muscles did not hurt as much.

But what really surprised him was that his heart didn't hurt. It had felt broken the night before, incapable of taking any more pain. Learning that Stan was dead had been a terrible blow, because he would have to cope with that while getting his kids through the news. Now, however, he realized he would not have to do it alone. His ohana had been with him all night, in shifts, while Steve had been with him the whole time. He had wafted up out of bad dreams into semi-awareness, never alone. And Angel had always been there.

But more than that, Becca had been there this morning. Becca. And her pearls would be his gift to Gracie. It wasn't right, he knew it. But he also knew it was right. Becca. When she had leaned in to give him that kiss, he had realized she was aiming at his lips, and only turned to his cheek at the uttermost last part of a second.

His heart had almost stopped, and sped up into a flurry of beats at the same time.

He knew what he wanted for Christmas. Becca. Becca's hand in marriage. His life was an unholy mess, but he was free. His heart was free to love, and he knew who he loved. Becca.

He would have to speak with Dr. Cornett. Today.

Danny got his chance after his bath and a bit of rest. His doctor paid him a visit, to make sure the numbers typed into his chart were holding up. He had also brought him a gift, a little pine tree in a pot, all decorated with lights and ornaments, a bright red bow around the base, and a Christmas Angel holding a golden light on the top.

"Merry Christmas, Doc. It's beautiful. Thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Danny. You're welcome. Now you have a real Christmas tree. Steve told me when I called him that you and fake trees are not on speaking terms."

Danny's eyes were bright with a special happiness, totally at odds with his life situation, being in the hospital. He knew his doctor had noticed. "So, how am I doing?"

Dr. Cornett smiled. "More improved than I thought, and I did worry you would take the news of your house much worse. No one would have blamed you."

Danny's smile didn't even falter. "Steve tell you?"

"When I called him, yes. But … so did Becca."

Becca. The heart monitor fluttered with a happy series of beats.

It was as if half the conversation had already happened. Danny said, "I know I have very little to offer her, no house, no red spatula or pizza stone, no bed … but I can get another house. Or apartment. And all the other stuff. And my kids already think the world of her. My kitten loves her. And I can't imagine her not in my life, not anymore. I realized that in the box. If she will have me, and if you will allow me to ask her, I would be honored and grateful –and shocked, to be honest- if you gave me your permission to … ask Becca to marry me. I mean, I know you already are getting Steve as a son-in-law, and having me too, uh, but I love her."

Dr. Cornett went into his Mona Lisa smile, and his eyes welled, and he said, "Yes, you can, and I can tell you do. And you have visitors, who overheard all of this in the doorway." He reached out and shook Danny's good hand, and then hugged Becca and Angel, clapped Steve on the shoulder. Steve smiled proudly at Danny, hugged Becca and kissed her cheek, and withdrew with Dr. Cornett.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

Becca stood in the doorway after her father and Steve had moved down to the nurse's station, to get coffee and talk quietly. She turned back to Danny, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, the love.

"Rebecca Cornett, I'm-not-entirely-sure-what-your-middle-name-is, I love you," he said.

"I love your children, your kitten," she said, moving to sit beside him on the bed. "And I love you, Daniel Whatever Williams. I have for months."

"Will you marry a homeless cop who is absolutely sure you are the best person to ever come into his life?"

"Yup!"

"Don't swerve this time when you kiss me."

"Well, okay," she sighed, and beaming like the sun, she leaned in, and it was a very long kiss, more accurately a series of kisses, and Angel gave her seal of approval by licking both their cheeks, because she couldn't get at any other part of their faces.


	40. Chapter 40 Angel's Christmas Adventure

Chapter 40 "Angel's Christmas Adventure"

A/N: (Valentine's Day 2017) HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! You all have been more than patient, waiting for the continuation of this story. I apologize for the delay's long duration. The story simply stopped talking to me for awhile, in part because it was beat to death by other ignored hobbies that needed a morsel of attention, _mostly_ because there was something in this tale that [ **it** said (harrumph snort)] _I_ was doing wrong, and the story eventually bleeped, " **& ^#%%#^#^#**" and shut up till I figured out what its problem was, while in fighting stance holding my shiny new real stunt lightsaber WHICH I know how to use. Sortof. But I digress. [I was never going to give up on this, since that is NOT how I do things, but sometimes ya gotta glare back awhile before resorting to crafting, and it blinked first. _**YESSSSS!**_ Ha. Take that, Story.]

After 2 weeks of stand-off glaring and thinking, it yelled recently, " _FINALLY!_ " and is again speaking to me. (And even tho it was being an [irrational … thing], I forgave it and am listening, because I seriously got mad at it for shutting up. Like, **how dare it**? Sure, it could have been crafted to the end, but that's not exactly honest, and stories get _**really**_ mad if you do that. Silence must be respected. All aspiring writers, keep in mind that stories will do this just to show who is boss, and since they ARE, uh, there may be brief pauses while you wish your lightsaber was real – translation, who is it who holds the bleeping pen and does the typing and looks up the address of the medical examiner's building in Honolulu, complete with photo? A little respect, Story, huh?)

There were things that were in the story when conceived, yet never were brought out because the course of this 'river' changed [don't look at _**me**_ , Story, it was YOUR IDEA, blasted temperamental….ahem, I digress again], and yet it wanted those things still in this. So, I figured it out! Seriously, a silent story is spooky. They don't go quiet like that unless it's 'serious matters', and this was, quite a few of them! But my brain does work, and we are communicating again. Stories always win, by the way, with histrionics. They glare at the author until things click, and then it's as if the glaring never exactly happened. (Tho authors never forget, and make lists.)

Two extremely special thanks must be noted, aside from the thanks to everyone for reading and writing reviews. This writer loves reviews, but understands that the percentage of reads to reviews is something like 1 review for 100-150 reads, or thereabouts. I appreciate all who do not leave reviews, and do a happy yippee! when there is a review – I can't help it!

Very special thanks to Shelly67 for being the 500th reviewer: she got to pick Danny's middle name, and she did well! It will come out in the story. NGM 322 (which sounds like a license plate) earns the gratitude for giving Becca a middle name. You both are owed gracious and warm thanks, and now everyone knows it! :-D Thank you both! Happy hugs!

CBS still dagnabbit owns Hawaii Five-0, and allows us to play with their shiny toy.

Chapter 40 "Angel's Christmas Adventure"

(Sunday, Christmas 2016, Noon)

Daniel Edward Williams (middle name in honor of his father's first name) lay quietly in his hospital bed, alone for the first time since breakfast, finding out about his house, getting engaged to Rebecca Ruth Cornett, and so many other things, like talking after the kissing after the proposal of marriage, and exchanging middle names, and starting to find their little special ways of communicating love to and for one another. Even his kitten had gone home with Becca because the hospital had finally pulled some regulation, but Danny knew she would be back, because Dr. Cornett was having Angel classified as a Therapy Animal, and they had visitation rights, especially when their area of expertise was sensing and helping ease anxiety in patients who needed their anxiety sensed and eased. Danny did.

The reason the hospital had done the stiff-arm finger-point "OUT" thing with Angel was because she had scared Danny to death with her rendition of producing her first hairball, which really hadn't made that much of a mess, just … well, Danny had never seen a cat do the truly appalling _things_ they do to get one of those things out, and naturally Angel had done it on Danny's bed, while his own heart pounded as Angel's sides did their jerky OMGosh inward contractions, and he didn't even know how to describe the other physical (what does one call them?) her tiny little body did, and the unearthly, distressed, indescribable _sounds_ she had made before seemingly commencing to turn inside out while from her apparently convulsing mouth came a projectile expulsion of a _thing_ onto his chest that looked for all the world like a miniature, pale, boneless, limbless, headless, non-tailed, skinny, wet remains-of-the-outside-of-a-mouse in clearish sauce. Danny had panicked because he had thought Angel was dying, because that's what it looked and sounded like, despite Becca's reassurance that she wasn't.

Becca was still there when this happened, and one nurse had caught the finale because Danny was wailing in as much if not more distress than he felt his cat must be in. And then Becca had told him it was just a hairball, and normal, and that word had horrified Danny almost into forgetting to breathe until the alarm sounded. "She might do this _again_?" Angel had looked both upset and embarrassed, had squashed herself up under Danny's chin, and refused to look at the not-mouse, while the nurse had said the bedding and Santa pajamas had to be cleaned, and … and then there had been round two, which was not as spectacular, but still had earned the nurse one (and she was lucky it was only one) rather impressive scratch because she had dared to snatch up Angel mid hurch-gurch to deposit her on the floor, else she would have possibly put the next hairball on Danny's neck. Instead, Angel erupted into Instinctive Cat Self Defense Explosion Number 15B, while still hurching, and was tossed through the air to land on the floor, still gurching, and who somehow knew instinctively that revenge is sweet and put her newest (messier) kindof-hairball (heavy on the sauce, light on the hair) on the nurse's right shoe before slinking hastily under the bed and trying to disown the whole episode, which was impossible to do while the nurse kept alternating between EW and OW. Somewhere in here, Steve, Hannah, and Dr. Cornett barreled into the room.

Then they couldn't coax Angel, who they discovered could hiss _and_ growl, out from under the bed because she got scared of hairballs and nurses and people yelling at nurses to NOT TOUCH THE CAT! (That had more come from Steve, who knew better than to touch a cat mid-production.) Whereupon the OUT thing had happened, which Dr. Cornett, alerted by the commotion, had countered with the declaration of "Therapy Animal," counter-countered by the nurse who simply snarled "Where does it say that in the records," while watching her scratched arm bleed, while cleaning her shoe with five tissues (two would have done) and a clean wipe held in the hand attached to the arm that wasn't bleeding.

Dr. Cornett had picked up the chart and written THERAPY ANIMAL: ANGEL, KITTEN, then continued to get into a respectable argument with the nurse, aided and abetted by Danny's protest that nobody could touch his kitten without his permission, even if she had scared him into not breathing for a moment there, and he was sorry for the scratch, "But seriously? Did that look like a good time to pick her up? What is your IQ?" This had reduced Becca to an epic gigglefit, which had offended the nurse, and which Danny, in the part of his mind not taken up by scolding the bleeding nurse, had felt delight at because he was going to get to listen to that musical, charming giggle for the rest of his life.

This was when Steve finally managed to pick Angel up by the scruff of her neck to get her out from under the bed. He had lifted her proudly onto the bed and back into Danny's protective arms, whereupon Danny had a fit that startled everyone else into silence, O's for mouths, and raised eyebrows. "O! MY! God! Steven, did you just try to strangle my (going into Daddy-baby-talk voice to comfort traumatized kitten) sweet widdo baby snookie wookums? She just had her first hairball, was womanhandled by a nurse with an IQ in the single digits when it comes to cats, and YOU had to go and STRANGLE her! You are a MEAN, MEAN MAN!"

Steve, startled, but realizing Danny had no previous experience with cats, defended himself mildly. "No, see, that's how it's supposed to be done when a cat or kitten is scared and has to be moved."

"NO FREAKING WAY, STEVEN! God did not invent cat strangulation as a way to move frightened kitties!"

"Danny, you just insulted God on Christmas."

"No I did NOT, you … We all saw what you just did to her!" (The kitten in question had settled down in Danny's protective embrace, rather enjoying the production number, now that her own tummy had settled down from what she kitten-vocabulary-approximation now thought of as an 'Adventure', especially since the bleeding woman had cleaned up the product of the Adventure while arguing with the Very Tall Man who cared for her Daddy.)

Becca slid her sweet voice into what could become a full-on argument by gently reminding Danny that mommy cats moved their kittens around by carrying them in their mouths by the extra fur and skin God had put on their necks so they could carry them that way without hurting them. "Even the vet will pick up a cat that way if necessary to not get clawed."

"Oh." Danny looked at Angel and carefully felt the extra skin and fur he had never really noticed before, and added, "Huh. I guess if God designed them that way…"

Becca almost whispered, "You might want to apologize to Steve."

Not about to argue with Becca, who he considered perfect, Danny turned to Steve. "I do apologize. I did not know, and therefore spoke in ignorance, and Thank you for rescuing Angel, which proves you care about her."

"And you, Danno," said Steve, with only mischief in his eyes. He leaned down and whispered, " 'Sweet widdo baby snookie wookums' is blackmail material I _will_ use at the worst and most embarrassing moment possible."

Angel started to purr when Steve petted her.

.

A/N: Short, but just realized it is Valentine's Day, which kindof requires either mush or silliness, so here is my present to all of you! I hope none of you were eating during the, uh, hairball.


	41. Chapter 41 Christmas, Continued

**Chapter 41** "Christmas, Continued"

 **A/N:** (28 February 2017) (Aaaaand I got the equivalent of the flu. *sigh*) The reviews are so lovely; thank you all! I am convinced I have the nicest, kindest readers on this site! (And, Cubit, you are right, the A/N _was_ kinda long :-D …) I'm glad so many enjoyed the adventure of Angel's first hairball! I knew all along that this would happen somewhere, and just waited for it to fit. And I have the utmost respect for nurses, knowing quite a few, but I needed this one to be a little prickly. ( _This_ nurse must consider the repercussions from both Steve and Dr. Cornett, should she fail to take good care of Danny. HE has connections.)

Tiny bit of info: Becca and Hanna do have playbys, tho you are free to make up your own. I always knew Becca was Melanie Moore, dancer/actress, most famous for winning season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance. (Youtube her SYTYCD Melanie and Marko Turn to Stone, or her audition, or SYTYCD Melanie and Marko I Got You, or Melanie and Neil Total Eclipse of the Heart to get an idea of her looks, personality.) I knew from her audition that she was going to be a playby someday. I was not surprised she won her season, in part because she has a naturally sweet personality and a very strong work ethic. She's been doing Broadway shows lately, most recently Chava on Fiddler on the Roof, and is going to be in the reprise of Hello Dolly which comes out sometime this year. She's still just as sweet and nice. She is Becca Cornett.

Hannah was harder to find, but she is Jessica Capshaw, who was (is?) on Grey's Anatomy, and I've never watched the show. I had no idea she existed, but found a photo online that worked, and looked her up. Her younger photos are the ones I think Steve is Stiff McGritting for. Her personality is entirely my creation, as I know absolutely nothing about the actress except that she is Cate Capshaw's daughter, and Cate was in one of my favorite westerns of all time (The Quick & The Dead starring the omgosh sublime Sam Elliott), and I can see Cubit starting to tap tap tap….. :-D

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0 but our plots and our OCs. (Episode 7.18 was *beyond* fantastic! It goes into my top 3!)

 **Chapter 41** "Christmas, Continued"

(Christmas 2016, continued. Noon.)

Danny, wearing regulation patient pajamas since the Santa jammies had been, uh, soiled by Angel's unexpected hairball, and Becca had taken them and Angel back to the Cornett's house, so the kitten could rest, the jammies be washed, and Dr. Cornett could have time to have the official records of his patient, Danny, reflect that Angel was in fact a Therapy Animal. To do that, the doctor would have to have the kitten evaluated by those hospital personnel who could make the determination official enough to allow Angel to spend a lot of her time with her Daddy-human.

Danny continued to rest and reflect on his incredibly busy Christmas morning. His engagement and Angel's hairball hadn't been the only events of note. He was allowed to eat real food, albeit still very mild and in portions small, but ever increasing, as his digestion got used to doing its job again. An hour ago, Danny had lunched on a half-bowl of chicken noodle soup, oyster crackers, another tiny fruit cup and a third of a banana. Since his stomach had not done any unhappy theatrics, dinner was going to be a little bit of turkey, mild stuffing, actual vegetables, and a dinner roll with just enough butter on it that he could tell it was there, with a few bites of apple pie for dessert. He was looking forward to it very much!

He missed Becca. He missed Angel. He missed Steve and Hannah. He missed his doctor, who was more and more becoming a friend. All had gone back to their respective houses to prepare for the Christmas gift exchange in Danny's room, a half hour away. Steve had slipped the St. Michael's medal into his hand, all shiny from the buffing Steve had somehow given it one-handed, and which was for Charlie. Becca had slipped him her pearl necklace and earrings in a pretty red velvet jewelry case, topped with a little gold mylar poofy bow. Danny loved them because he could picture Gracie opening the case and seeing those pearls, and knowing the tradition of jewelry from her father continued, even though she thought this year it couldn't happen because the house had been blown up by Stan.

Becca, Hannah, and Steve had all spoken together for awhile before they had to leave with Angel. They had a natural ease with one another, and even though Steve had yet to officially ask Hannah to marry him, it really was a formality, so they had found themselves jumping forward to June, and decided they might all have a double wedding, since the guest lists would be the same, and why do everything twice? Each would have the same bridesmaids, the same groomsmen, and nobody wanted anything overly fancy. One simple double-wedding would do quite nicely.

Then the topic had switched to how to tell Gracie and Charlie, and things turned serious. They had to be very sensitive to the feelings of Danny's children, because it was so recent that their mother and step father had been charged with a mind-boggling list of crimes, and they did not know yet that Step-Stan had died suddenly.

They would figure it out together, and while they would see if they could tell Gracie today, they would not tell Charlie until they had spoken to the child psychologist.

Before Steve had slipped away, Danny had asked him quietly if he could call the chaplain or priest to come talk with him, because he felt the need. Steve had gladly consented. It was amazing that Danny and Steve now had a closeness even more pronounced than before. They were brothers already, but after June (date as yet undecided), they would be legally brothers-in-law. Steve felt settled in a way he never had before, because his niece Gracie would in fact be his niece, Charlie his nephew, he would have a sister-in-law he loved, and the ache of a mother he had realized he could never trust had become one of a mother-in-law he already trusted, and his father's death was eased by knowing his father-in-law was a man he had already bonded with, long before they would become real family. He wasn't alone at all anymore. He had found his soulmate in Hannah, and he had seen none of it coming.

Danny had loved watching his partner realize how much his life would change soon, for the better. He had watched as a weight of loneliness Steve bore with unspoken stoicism had been lifted right off, replaced with an openness of expression, a gratitude that brought tears to Danny's eyes, because it brought tears to Steve's. The two men had embraced, and each had whispered, "Love you, brother."

It had been hard to say goodbye even temporarily to Becca and Angel, but Danny had needed some rest by then, which he got, even if he didn't sleep, and it didn't last long. Danny's list of visitors and calls had grown long.

Calls: Danny's family in Jersey (a happy call, on speakerphone from their end, full of joy and cheer), his insurance agent with Christmas greetings and the promise to call the next day and start sorting out the mess of things that needed sorting out, his lawyer who called to say Happy Holidays and another promise of a call the next day, Max, Kamekona, Dog, and other friends Danny had not expected to hear from. When Tony Archer* called, Danny asked how on earth he even knew he was in the hospital?

"Son, ya made da news! You let me know when I can bring you a real pizza pie. Tell yer boss, McGarrett, he can have one slice!" His New York / New Jersey accent had been thick as ever.

"You'll have to wear shoes. Can my fiancé have one too?"

"Fiancé? Yeah, sure, ya mutt! But only if I get to come t' da weddin'! Maybe I should bring two pies. Do flip flops count as shoes in de hospital?"

"Call the front desk and ask. I'll ask my fiance about the wedding." He sighed barely. A slice would be real nice, but he knew it was not on his menu for awhile. A week or so, maybe. He told Tony.

"Kid, you okay?" The concern was real.

Danny thought of all the things wrong with him, even if they seemed to be improving, and thrust aside feeling sorry for himself. He was a lucky man, so he should act like it.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna be fine, doing better every hour. But come by for the gathering today. Starts at 1 p.m. My kids will be here, others too. No curse words at all, got that?"

"Free speech is a right, kiddo. But yeah. Okay. My Goddaughter is on da Big Island wit' her boyfriend, so … 1 p.m., shoes, no cussin'."

"Good. It will be real good to see you."

Then Danny got another call, this time from Rachel Edwards' lawyer. "She has a message for you."

Danny had a bad feeling, but since he would from now on about his ex, he was not surprised. "You cannot imagine how this has made my Christmas, knowing that my ex who tried to kill me has a message for me. So spill it quick, I need to rest."

Rachel's lawyer was a man without any discernible changes of expression, unless he was performing before a judge or jury. So in the flattest voice possible, he said, "Rachel Edwards, newly widowed, asked me to tell you that, and I quote, 'If you do not promise to take me back and adopt my baby son when he is born, I will abort him.' What reply should I give Mrs. Edwards?"

.

* Tony Archer was the main guest in an episode of the show, 2.18. He was played by Scott Caan's father, James Caan. He played a former NYPD bomb expert, relocated to Hawaii upon retirement, and lives on his boat and doesn't mind his own business. I always wished they'd brought him back as a guest a few more times.


	42. Chapter 42 Devastation

**Chapter 42** "Devastation"

 **A/N:** (2 March 2017) Thank you for the reviews. You are so kind. Thank you from all my heart. Thank you for the reads. I appreciate every single one.

 **This chapter carries a warning:** it deals with the effect of an abortion on the father. It isn't talked about much, and really it should be. Because fathers have no rights before a child is born, and afterwards are little more than a wallet. And that's not right. I am a woman, and I am anti-abortion, and not afraid to say it. I don't care how the baby came to be, it is never the baby's fault that it came to be, and nobody benefits from abortion except agencies who don't give a damn about anything but making money. And most babies aborted are female. How does this help women? It doesn't. Abortion is as anti-woman as it gets. It is a for-profit industry that kills babies, hurts women and men. There is nothing admirable about it.

If this opinion loses me some readers, I'm okay with that.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 42** "Devastation"

(Sunday, Christmas 2016, still noon)

The phone slipped from Danny's hand, falling onto the blanket. He didn't move, his arm still upraised to his ear, his mind whirling is shock. Rachel, his ex-wife for many good reasons, was trying to blackmail him into getting back together with her, or she would kill her unborn child by the man who had tried to murder him, with her full consent and cooperation, the man who had died and left her a widow on Christmas Eve.

Rachel was blackmailing him, a baby's life in the balance. A baby's life. He had to do something. Something. He would stall. Until he could think.

He picked up the phone, his mind sliding into stall mode. "Yes, I'm still here. You have to give me time to think about this," he said to the lawyer. "I will come to see … Mrs. Edwards when my doctor allows it."

Ron Parker, Rachel's robotic lawyer, asked, "Any idea how soon that might be?"

"No," replied Danny, his emotions numb. "A day or two. I have to consult my doctor." Danny was unwilling to divulge that his lawyer was calling him again sometime on Monday, and he definitely needed to talk to him, too. "I'll get back to you. Not today."

He was about to end the phone call when the lawyer, Ron Parker, said in his monotone, "I was instructed to tell you Mrs. Edwards is quite serious. She has terminated pregnancies before, one of which was your child."

Danny's numbness jolted into a slow, disbelieving pain, which grew as he realized he believed the lawyer, for Danny of all people knew beyond doubt that there was nothing Rachel would not do to get what she wanted, and to hell with how he felt about anything. "When?" he whispered, his voice thin and quavering, hoping to hold back the tears until the call was over.

The voice was unaffected. Robotic. Uncaring. "Just after she filed for divorce from you. She said she already had a girl, and didn't need another one."

A girl. His daughter he never even knew about. It took Danny most of a minute to compose his voice enough to say, "I'll be … in touch." A second later the phone was on the bedside table, and Danny was curled into a ball, sobbing into tissues, his mouth stuffed with blanket to keep his keening groans almost inaudible. He did manage to keep quiet, eventually adding a pillow. But the pain grew until it tore out of him in a cry of grief he could no longer stifle. That wrenching sound, and the monitors for his breathing and blood pressure gave his suffering away. When the monitors began to beep, a nurse came, saw his emotional distress, and instantly called Dr. Cornett, who had just arrived with his son, David, David's wife and baby son, to visit the hospital. Dr. Cornett stopped by his office just long enough grab his white lab coat with his name and badge on it, and was at Danny's side in less than five minutes after being paged.

That Danny was suffering from deep emotional devastation was clear. Even behind the pillow, his heart-rending groans were enough to break the hearts of all who heard them.

Dr. Cornett didn't even wait five seconds before he was calling Steve and Becca, both at his home. "Just get here," he said. "Not the kids, please. Not even Hannah, I'm sorry. Danny has had some kind of emotional setback." Since they could hear Danny's grieving wails, they both turned pale and were out the door before they even said they were on their way. Isaac Cornett pocketed his phone, turned to Danny, and wrapped him in a father's embrace, and Danny's anguish remained wordless for a few wrenching minutes.

By the time Steve and Becca had arrived, the party was only 45 minutes away. Danny had calmed just enough to tell his doctor what the lawyer had said Rachel had done, and what she would do if her demands of reconciliation were not met. Steve and Becca hurried in as Danny sobbed, "She aborted Gracie's sister. She killed my unborn child. And she told me on Christmas. My baby … she killed my baby. And I didn't know it. I would have loved her as much as I love Grace and Charlie." The tears just kept streaming like rivers down Danny's face.

Becca immediately wrapped her arms around him, and it physically hurt Steve to not be able to as well, so he hugged them both. Becca had the first claim now, and Steve respected her place in Danny's life. Danny's face was buried against Becca's neck, hugging her tight with his left arm, while the right with its hand in a partial cast was around Steve's back, four fingers digging into the fabric of Steve's maroon chamois shirt when Steve had briefly pulled away, uncertain of what Danny wanted from him. It reassured him that his partner didn't want him to let go, and when Becca's arm pulled him closer to Danny, it further reassured him that his sister-in-law-to-be respected how close he and Danny were.

"Doc," whispered Danny from Becca's collarbone. "Give me something to get me through the party. I … just … can't tell everyone yet. I … I can't tell my kids this. I can't. It would be wrong. Get me through the party." He then, haltingly, in a shredded voice, told them about the call from Rachel's lawyer. Halfway through the telling, Dr. Cornett injected his IV with a mild sedative and compatible anti-depressant.

When Becca gasped, Danny assured her instantly that he would not marry Rachel for anything.

"But … her baby …."

"We will all put our heads together to figure out if we can save the baby, but I'm not being manipulated by her. Becca, I love you. I need you and Steve to help me. I … I … I can't … do this without you. Please don't leave me."

Becca was a jewel. "I would never leave you. I'm not … like her."

"Thank God," whispered Danny, tears welling again, and when Steve told him he was not going to let Rachel hurt him again, Danny stifled a small sob. "She killed my unborn baby. She …."

"—May have been lying," spoke Dr. Cornett, quietly. "I will make inquiries."

The drugs were beginning to have an effect. Danny was physically relaxing, but it was clear his heart was still in tatters. "I have never in my life hoped so hard that she is lying to me about this. Doc?"

Cornett's voice was husky. "Yeah?"

"If she did … do that … I need to know."

"Yeah. I'll get on it."

Steve laid his friend back against the pillows, new ones just brought in by a kind, silent nurse who took the tear-stained ones away. "Can you handle the party? Your kids?"

Danny cleared his throat, and pulled himself together. "I have to. Do you have the … Santa pajamas?"

Becca nodded. "At the nurses' station. Even the cap, which we stole from Angel. She was sleeping like a rock, she was so worn out from the hairball."

"She's okay, though, right?"

"Yes," reassured Becca, running her hand up and down Danny's left hand and forearm. "She misses you.

"I miss Angel. Angela would have made a good name for …." Danny swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Okay, help me into those jammies. First, though, Steve, I need to c-clean up. I'm not sure I can stand very long. I'm a f-freaking mess." He felt hit by three trains, sore from his heavy cry, and drained, _weary_.

"I got you, brother. I got you." Steve was inwardly seething at Rachel, but he was internalizing it until he could let the feeling out. His first priority was being there for Danny and his kids. When he was alone, he would vent his emotions toward Rachel. He hoped she was lying, but had a feeling she wasn't. And he knew Danny would be scarred forever because she had taken from him a child he would have loved. His house and possessions could be replaced; Becca would heal his heart; his kids would fill his life; but nothing would ever heal the hole in Danny's heart from the daughter he had never gotten to know. Even if it turned out that Rachel had lied, the pain this had caused Danny was as close to unforgiveable as anything could ever be.

"Tony Archer is coming to the party," Danny suddenly remembered to tell them.

Becca and Dr. Cornett were quickly filled in on the connection Danny and Steve had to the man in question. Danny finished explaining. "He would have been alone today, and nobody should be alone on … Christmas. –He has contacts in Jersey that might, uh, help. Doc, talk to him. You can tell him. He won't … he'll be discreet."

"Okay," said the Doc. "My son David and his wife and, uh, baby son are here. Flew in on holiday from Germany yesterday. Can you handle meeting them?"

Danny was breathing a bit roughly as Steve helped him out of bed, but he nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to meet them. Just … I might need more drugs for the party. Maybe a little bit. It won't look weird if I'm sleepy, right?"

"Not a bit, Danny."

"Okay, everybody, help me get ready."

And they did.


	43. Chapter 43 Notice of Malfunction

Chapter 43 " Notice of Malfunction"

A/N: (2 March 2017) Hi! All readers of Ch 42, be aware that there is a malfunction on the fanfic site that isn't letting reviews show. I can see them in my email, but the site here denies they exist, so I can't even respond to them. I am not blocking or deleting reviews, I promise! They have been great, and even if they weren't, I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is no more important than yours.

See you soon in Ch, uh, Chapter 44 I guess! The story will continue!


	44. Chapter 44 The Party

**Chapter 44** "The Party"

 **A/N:** (6 March 2017) Well, you surprised me again with supportive, kind reviews, which I wasn't sure would happen since I did take a stand there. I just want everyone to know that I'm not going to penalize anyone with an opinion contrary or differing slightly from mine. We all have the right to our own conscience. Thank you for trusting, when I didn't say it, that your opinions are just as important.

This story is gaining a little momentum. We're not at warp 9 yet, but we are no longer at warp 1 either. I like that we are picking up some steam, attracting new readers and reviewers! Thank you for the very kind and compassionate reviews, and the new faves and follows! *HUGS* and happiness to everyone! I'm glad you are enjoying the story! I write for me, but I also write for you, since I think this is my calling in life.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 44** "The Party"

(Sunday, Christmas 2016, 1pm)

It was so hard to push aside the emotional pain Danny was feeling, along with an increase in his physical discomfort. The party would be a challenge to get through, but he would do it, because he could not ruin his children's Christmas, or his ohana's, more than he already had. He had not even made it to twelve engaged hours with Becca before Rachel had walloped him with her … did it really matter if it was a lie or the truth? She had inflicted pain, on purpose. He would not do that to his loved ones in return. Becca, Steve, and Dr. Cornett had already suffered because of what Rachel had done. He loved them for helping him, but he felt this continual need to apologize, and yet knew they would be more pained by his apologies. So he only said he was sorry a few times, sincerely, on the verge of tears each time, because they were being so good to him. After Rachel's unexpected depth of cruelty, Danny needed love. And he needed to give love, especially when he was hurting in so many ways at once.

He just plain loved his friends and family. He would get through the party for them. Somehow.

Danny knew they were concerned for him. His fever had gone up almost a degree, and his body was paining him. It was the cry, the evidence of a pain deeper than he had felt in a long time. (Angel, he reflected, would probably have thought he was trying to bring up his own hairball!) Dr. Cornett had adjusted his medications, which helped greatly, but not enough to make it through on drugs alone. A lot of the success or failure of this party would be Danny's inner effort. He hoped he had the strength. Privately, he was not sure that he did. However, he knew he had the willingness to endure what he never wanted his family and friends to have to. He would take a bullet for any of them. He had simply not expected his ex to point the cannon right at his heart and fire point blank. Rachel's words had proven to be virtually an emotional kill-shot. He had asked for help with the party because it was the only way to keep his bleeding-out wound from overtaking him again.

Danny concentrated on any detail that would distract him from sinking into the mire within. He noticed Becca was wearing a truly beautiful dress. A Christmas dress. It was made of something soft, but not satin or silk, or whatever that stuff was that floated. It was more like soft cotton, something light and lifting, and the colors were a watercolor print in soft red, green, and gold on white. The top part fitted, and had an open neckline, little cap sleeves, and then the skirt widened out until it stopped with just enough swish to be almost safe in a breeze. The hem was edged in scalloped white lace, just at the top of her knees. He had memorized it, because it was such a perfect Christmas dress. It was a perfect dress for Christmas in Hawaii, or anytime in Hawaii, really. He could see it on a beach at sunset, with the breeze playing with the hem. Becca had also worn a delicate necklace of a small gold heart with a little diamond in it, or maybe it wasn't a diamond. Danny couldn't tell, but it sparkled like one, and the chain was the kind with tiny, thin links that sparkled like glitter in the light. It was like the sparkle in her eyes. They seemed to always sparkle. Sparkling eyes he would look at forever. That would sparkle more, now, except she was feeling his ….

Pain. Anguish.

Danny shoved them away, determined to give Becca nothing more to worry about.

He was a lucky man. He smiled at Becca and she smiled back at him, and the sparkles increased. They held hands. He whispered to her that she was beautiful. She bent down and kissed him, because his eyes had asked her to, and hers had said they wanted to. He could have denied himself, but how could he ever deny her?

Steve had ahemed, with a smile not as eye-brightening as it should have been. He was worried about Danny, too, and Danny knew it. Steve was standing on his right, by his bad hand, but Steve still had his hand on his shoulder, almost as if he was filling in for Angel. And he had actually almost succeeded in dressing for Christmas, probably because Hannah was beside him, with her hand on Steve's cast. She was a floaty vision in a no-doubt-about-it red dress, while Steve wore dark pants with no cargo pockets, a maroon chamois shirt that managed to look pressed, but was probably an illusion. If Steve had something pressed, it came from the dry cleaner. But he looked like he belonged next to Hannah. Their togetherness was undeniably right.

Danny wore his cleaned Santa pajamas, complete with hat. Steve had helped him shave his scruffy beard, but he still needed to hide his super-short hair. So he wore the hat that had been appropriated from his kitten, who had decided the fluffy hat with the tail ending in a white poof was definitely hers.

It made Danny's smile genuine. If anything besides his kids and Becca and kitten and Steve and ohana could make him feel happy at the moment, it was that silly Santa hat Angel had taken right off his head, which Becca (or was it Steve?) had stolen back, if only temporarily.

He repeated in his mind what he had just thought. He had a lot to be grateful and thankful for. And even if the day had been partially ruined, it still had a lot going for it. His ohana was coming to see him, and friends he felt close to. He was engaged. His best friend was almost engaged. He was alive, out of the box, and it was Christmas. He would see his kids very soon.

His first visitors were Chin, Abby, Kono and Adam, and they brought him cards and several shapes and colors of bright Mylar balloons, and Kono also handed the wrapped BB8 for his kids off to Steve, who hid it under Danny's bed. They talked, hugged, and included Becca and Hannah in the happy wishes for the day.

Next came the Doc, his wife Noelle, with more cards, balloons, and a platter piled high with various kinds of cookies, including some that Danny could have. "Two. Just two, Danny," said his Doc, and Danny nodded, smiling. Shortbread cookies decorated with royal icing Santa faces. Noelle kissed him on the cheek after hugging her daughters, and gave Steve kisses too. Like a family. Which they were.

"I never saw you in anything but scrubs and a lab coat," commented Danny, liking to see his doc is something real. His Hawaiian shirt had palm trees decorated with lights on a pale blue background, and his pants were genuine Levi Strauss blue jeans that did not look like they had been worn 5000 times.

"This is my only real shirt," confessed the Doc, and at the blatant lie, everyone laughed.

"At least it doesn't have pineapples all over it," commented Danny.

The Doc laughed and looked mischievous at that, and Noelle pulled two flat boxes from behind her husband's back, which was broad enough to hide them. "We brought you a gift." She handed one box to Danny, and the other box to Steve. "And you too, Steve. We wanted to welcome you both to the family."

"Oh wow, thanks," said Steve, gruffly, moved, while Danny beamed. "Okay, we open them together," he said. They did. Steve got a Hawaiian shirt with a beach design of water, palm trees, and sunset. Danny got a lagoon blue Hawaiian shirt covered in half-life-sized pineapples with smaller ones peppering the background. He burst into laughter. "Okay, I love it!" he said, and he meant it.

Noelle Cornett, pleased, confided that Steve had told them Danny loved pineapples.

Danny kept the smile pasted to his face as he looked up at a blushing Steve. "Diiiiiiiid he? Well, in this instance, he is right." He recognized a gift given with love. He would even wear it. In Steve's face. Every chance he got.

David and his family came in next, while everyone mixed, and while it would have been a challenge to meet the baby without medication running through Danny's system, he could feel it preventing him from having trouble. It was very easy to like David and his family, and there were no awkward pauses or fumbles in the conversation.

"So you two are going to be my brothers-in-law?"

Danny confirmed it. Kissing Becca's hand, he said, "She said, 'Yup!'"

"I did!" agreed Becca, bright as a Christmas light, clearly loving seeing her brother and sister-in-law.

"And what did Hannah say?" asked David.

Danny made a prolonged smoochy sound, and Hannah swatted him on the shoulder. "Steve hasn't asked me yet," she admitted, then laughed. "Sortof."

Then it was Danny's kids, with even more balloons, and Charlie was lifted up onto his bed while Grace, hair piled high in soft curls, wearing her brand new Christmas dress of chocolate satin –a present from the Cornetts- twirled for him when he told her how beautiful she looked. "Thank you, Danno. I love it. Hannah helped me put my hair up like this."

"You've grown up on me," Danny said, his voice tight, holding Grace close. "You were a beautiful baby, and a beautiful child, a beautiful girl who grew into a stunning young lady."

It was a special moment between father and daughter. Becca wiped away a tear, and slyly pulled the box with her pearls out of the drawer where Danny had hidden it. She slipped it into Danny's hand.

He flicked away a tear, and slid the box into Grace's hands. "I have something for you, my beautiful grown up daughter."

Shock and happiness vied for supremacy in Grace's expression as she held the red jewelry case with the fluffy gold ribbon on top. "I didn't expect … I thought it wouldn't … you are all I need, Daddy."

"Open it, sweetheart." Urged Danny, having gotten the best present in the world when Grace called him Daddy. She didn't do that as often, now that she was growing up. It was either Danno or Dad.

Danny glanced at Becca, with love, adoration, many emotions. She had made this moment possible.

The room had gone silent as Grace first touched the ribbon, and then slowly opened the case, and caught her first glimpse of the string of pearls with matching earrings. "Ohhhh Daddy!" she breathed, in pleasure, appreciation, and love. She hugged her father close, and cried happy tears, and Danny didn't let her go as Steve was the one who clasped the pearls around Gracie's neck, while Becca and Hannah each fitted her ears with an earring. She finally sat up and touched them, and Kono pulled a mirrored compact from her clutch purse and opened it so Grace could see how she looked.

"So grown up, so beautiful," whispered Danny, quietly realizing he would have to prepare for when Grace was old enough to move out and begin her life as an independent adult. "D-do you like them?" he finally asked, as Grace hadn't said anything.

Grace looked at her father. "No," she said, and tears slid from her chocolate eyes. "I love them. Even more, I love you."

Five minutes later, Kleenexes stopped being passed around, and there was a lot of throat clearing going on, and a nurse picked the perfect time to bring in lemonade and cake, slices of fruit for the assemblage, and a larger-than-before cup of strawberry jello for Danny.

"But we're not done with the gifts for my amazing kids," said Danny, when everyone had had a snack and something to drink. "Charlie, you want to see your present?"

"Yes please!" he chirped, and was ecstatic to see the medal hanging from the chain. "A real one!" he said, looking at the medal after Danny slipped it over his son's head. "St. Michael!" He hugged his father happily. "Oh Daddy, I love it!"

Danny hugged his son for a few seconds before he froze and held Charlie away, so he could see him. "What did you call me?"

"Daddy!" proudly answered Charlie. "I stopped calling Step-Stan that weeks ago, cuz he doesn't love me like you do. You love me _this_ much!" He held his arms open as wide as he possibly could. "So you are my Danno Daddy."

Danny burst into tears at finally hearing his son call him Daddy. "I'm so happy," he clarified for the suddenly worried Charlie. "Thank you, Tiger. Thank you." He hugged him again, and then signaled the big reveal. After clearing his throat, he signaled Steve and Kono to bring forth the wrapped box with BB8 inside. It was opened with due ceremony, and then Charlie squealed, and Grace showed that she was not entirely grown up yet with her excited, "OH MY GOSH!" The little robot was soon running all around Danny's room, and up and down the hospital hallways, looking as cute as the real one from the movie _Star Wars: The Force Awakens._

Danny took a few moments to lean back and reflect that, while he felt like he had been on a wild emotional roller coaster just during the party, it had gone well. He was glad, however, that it was drawing to an end.

Awhile later, when everyone had left, if only temporarily in one case, for Steve was seeing Hannah out but would return, and Becca was going to spend some time with her family, since her brother was leaving with his wife on their belated Maui honeymoon in the morning. This would be her last chance to really spend time with her whole family together. She was helping carry things down to her dad's car.

But Becca had not left without giving Danny a very fiance type of kiss, and a simply perfect, "I love you," after he had said goodbye for now to his kids, and warned them lightly not to scare Angel with the BB8.

He was resting when he got a note from one of the nurses.

It was from Tony Archer. "Raincheck," it said. "I got an offer I couldn't refuse, from my God daughter. She's gonna have a kid in October! She surprised me with a visit. I'll call ya tomorrow! -Tony (does this make me a grandpa?)"

Danny felt happy for Tony, and incredibly happy it was time for his medications again. He lay back and let slow tears roll down his cheeks, partly happy, partly sad, party just too long on the rollercoaster.


	45. Chapter 45 Help Needed By Author

Chapter 45 "Help Needed By Author"

A/N: (14 March 2017) This isn't a chapter, and I apologize for that. But something has happened that I am struggling to cope with, and I need your help as a person, as the writer of this story.

Chapter 44 saw a drop in readers and reviews by one-third. One third of the audience went away, without a word. That to me is devastating. To a story, that's a kill shot, and I don't know if this is survivable or whether I should keep going with this story, or let it go.

When a writer writes on fanfic, our reward is the hope that we are positively impacting people's lives, bringing some good, giving a good story. The only way we know, our "pay" as it were, is views and reviews. And I have gotten some very good ones, and thank all of you who take the time to review and let me know how you feel.

But when we lost a third of both in a chapter … it's hard to go on. And yet, I want to, when I've had time to recover emotionally. I feel like I went over a cliff, and survival is up to you guys, so I'm asking you to give me feedback on whether or not to keep going. It isn't my first choice, but I could go back and evict anything to do with abortion, even tho it will never be gone fully since I went there in the story, and switching won't delete the memory, or gain back any viewers lost since they are already gone. But I can do that. I'd prefer that to stopping the story here and leaving it hanging, or writing, "And Danny woke up. The End." There are three choices: keep going as it is, or delete and rewrite everything after 41, which would change the course of the story, or I could not publish the rest on fanfic.

Let me make this very clear: I am not upset at all with the two-thirds who stayed. I am not upset with you. I thank God you stayed. But I need your help to get past the loss of the one-third who will never read this.

When abortion came up, and I made my personal views clear, and said if I lost some viewers over it I was okay with it, I had no idea that so many would leave. I don't even know if abortion was the issue. Timing indicates it probably was, but I don't know. And even if it was, you know by now that you can trust me to handle heavy topics with dignity and delicacy. Or I hope you know.

I also know a large percentage of readers just want a good story, and don't care about me personally. That's okay, I don't expect you to. But right now I need as many of you who will, to let me know what to do, however you do it, by private PM or review…anything. As many of you as will. But please let me know. Silence but just viewing is also a way of letting me know that you are still interested.

I'm sorry to have to ask for your feedback, but as a writer and as a person, I need it.

Thank you.

Love,

Jean


	46. Chapter 46 Brothers

**Chapter 46** "Brothers"

 **A/N:** (16 March 2017) "Thank you" is so inadequate. I asked for your help, and you gave it with a generosity that went so far beyond my wildest hopes. Thank you for setting me back on track, letting me know your thoughts, and receiving your support. If I only write for those jewels who responded, that's plenty of reason to keep going with the story, as is. I will be true to it, and share this with you, with gratitude overwhelming. You helped me, and I need to keep taking you on this journey. I realize numbers are not the definition of "success" – you are the only readers I need. I love you.

So let's get to the journey. It is a mixed chapter, and it may seem dark at the end, but there has to be dark for light to follow. It will, I promise! Have confidence that hope is alive and well and about to take over the world again. But one step at a time. I won't rush this. But have hope! I will never leave you hopeless!

I am back on a roll, so expect frequent updates.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 46** "Brothers"

(Sunday, Christmas evening 2016, 6 p.m.)

Danny had wakened from a short nap at about 5, just in time for the nurse to bring in his paper cup of pill-form medications, which he took in one swallow of water, and his dinner, on a hospital tray with compartments for different foods. His tray had tiny portions in the various compartments, but it was vastly improved from a taste of peanut butter. It was a real Christmas dinner, too. Danny was hungry, and ate his turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, almost-visibly-buttered dinner roll, and the slice of apple pie that couldn't even be stretched to three bites. He finished off with the little cup of mandarin orange slices, drank his tea, and felt full. His mind had refused to think about anything while he ate. His emotions seemed to be in hiding. And he thought that was probably a very good thing. Still, deep within him he felt a bubble rising, and knew it would not be too much longer before numbness gave way to desire for information, facts. Danny knew he wasn't emotionally ready, but neither could he bear the thought of another blindside.

But he was not ready, not quite yet.

No sooner had he finished then Steve had returned, with a bag of carry-out, and the I'm-in-heaven aroma wafting from that bag woke up Danny's tummy even more than the label on it. "Bob's Big Burger!" he said, with discernible enthusiasm.

Steve had smiled widely, glad to see Danny's reaction. "I asked Doc C if you could have a bite, and he said yes, one, with no mayo. So I had them hold the mayo, but I didn't have them hold any of the other condiments, or the cheese and bacon. This one's stacked, Danny. I mean, it's big."

Danny repeated, his voice oozing pleasure and approval, "'Cheese _and_ bacon!' I love you. And Bob's Big Burgers are legendarily big. Cut me my bite or I will have to attack you with my empty tray and plastic eating utensils. I warn you, I feel very motivated."

Steve had laughed. "Okay okay! Hand me that plastic knife and let's see if it's up to tackling this beautiful burger."

It was. If it hadn't, Steve would have ripped off a piece. In fact, it surprised Danny that Steve used the knife.

"I like your definition of a 'bite'."

"It's Christmas, Danny. Go large or go home."

"Damn straight. I get fries, too, right?"

"I didn't ask Doc about that, but who goes to Bob's without getting fries with their burger? Let's assume he said yes. I did have them hold the salt a little? But I got ketchup packets. So, here ya go, buddy." He extracted a quarter of the fries from the container and reverently placed them on the empty main compartment of Danny's food tray, along with ketchup.

"Thank you, Steven!"

"You bet. Merry Christmas, Danny."

"Merry Christmas, Steve."

Danny of necessity made his bite into two large bites, and Steve finished off the rest of the burger, each man eating with appropriately appreciative sound effects.

Napkins were put to use, compliments on the fare exchanged, and a companionable silence had fallen while Steve drank his beer and Danny sipped on ice water.

"Are you allowed to get out of that bed yet? Want to go for a walk?" asked Steve, finally. "It's almost sunset."

"If a nurse comes screaming at us with security, we will know it is not allowed. Let's make a hobble for it. I'm sure I can manage that."

Danny was tired, but a walk sounded like a very good idea. He was beginning to feel like he had exchanged the box for a hospital room, and it was time to get another look at the bigger world. He had yet to allow them to close the curtains on the window. The sky outside was beginning to tint with the gentle colors of what promised to be a postcard sunset, and Danny felt the absolute need to see it.

.

H50 H50 H50

.

And now the two men were sitting on a bench on the little patio only four doors down from Danny's room. The walk hadn't been bad, and the nurses had been glad to see their patient up and on his feet, walking without assistance, but with Steve's presence at his side, ready to catch him if he stumbled, and carrying a folded blanket in case Danny got cold.

He didn't stumble. He needed to be outside. The bubble was rising.

But it waited for sunset to flame into colors heaven smiled at, and the two friends enjoyed in silence. When they faded into darkness lit by stars, Steve commented, "That was a good one. My dad used to say that was God showing off."

Danny smiled, staring at the stars rather than the lights of Tripler's exterior at night. "When I looked into Grace's face, just after she was born, I knew God was showing off. And now she's growing up on me, and God is still showing off. You saw how beautiful she is. Inside and outside."

Steve nodded. Danny felt it more than saw it. "I noticed, Danny. Pretty soon, the male of the species is going to notice her in a big way. Be ready."

"They notice already. But they know her daddy is a cop who carries a gun and a badge and has friends who carry guns and badges. But now she's starting to notice them." He sighed. "Terrifies me."

"Yup. I think Nehele likes her."

"Worse, she likes Nehele. But he's a good kid, and won't hurt her."

"But what about Charlie? God showed off pretty good there, too, don't you think?" asked Steve.

"He's such a sweet little goof. How did I get so lucky? He called me Daddy." Danny finally looked at Steve. "But when he was born, I was robbed of so much. I thought he was Stan's. I was right there, and afraid to ask to hold him, because I had no right to. I was on this high when Grace was born, this omigod I'm a father high, scared to death, full of hopes and dreams and utter terror and pride and a thousand other emotions. But with Charlie, I felt cheated, like he wasn't mine, like I wished he was mine, and so all the emotions were sad. Rachel robbed me of the joy of Charlie's birth."

"But you were there."

Danny's heart was twisting. "I was there, but I didn't get to feel what a father should get to feel when his child is born, and Rachel knew she was cheating me. She knew Charlie was my son, but she was lying." He shook his head, unable to put his jumbled feelings into words. "The doctor cut the cord. I should have cut the cord. I should have been as elated as Rachel, instead of hiding all the knives that were sticking into my heart as my ex who I almost reconciled with gave birth to another man's son, and who I saw from time to time because he was there when I went to pick up Grace, but I missed his first words, his steps, his teething, his spit-ups, his diapers, all the things … all the things a father doesn't want to miss." He sighed heavily and looked down at his blanket draped knees. "And the daughter I never got to know. My mind is numb. My heart is aching and torn. My daughter, and Rachel didn't even tell me about her. Gone. Unknown."

The bubble was almost ready to burst, and it had come with a vanguard of tears.

Steve nodded, his eyes more on Danny than the constellations. He felt something coming. But what came suddenly … surprised him.

Danny was back to looking at the constellations, winking like jewels in the velvet heavens. "Steve. I need to know everything that happened, after we were drugged right up to when you found me. I can't know there is so much I don't know, and when will it jump out at me. I can't accidentally overhear something, or just know that I don't know. I need to know all of it. Please." The last word was delivered, Danny's no-longer-numb eyes staring up into his. "Please," he repeated.

Steve hesitated. "Are you sure you are ready? Today has already been rough on you."

Danny nodded, and stilled, and nodded again. "It has been. I don't know … I may not be ready, but I know I can't not know anymore. Steve, I need to know."

A half hour later, Steve had told him everything and was finally showing him the viedo from Mo's phone. "We … we don't think Stan did anything worse, Danny. Because he would have gloated about it. And he didn't. So this is the worst of it. How … please tell me how I can help you, Danny. I can see you closing up, and you can't do that now. You have to let us help you."

"Who?" Danny's voice cracked, and he brushed away a traitorous tear, just when he was struggling not to break down again. "Who has seen that?"

"Mo's phone? Uh. All of Five-0, uh, your Doc, uh, a few others." He rattled off the names of a judge and a couple therapists.

"God! So many." Danny suddenly had to get away, as far as he could. He only made it to the plexiglass barrier around the patio before the tears tore out again, quietly. His body hunched over as his hands covered his face.

Steve picked up the fallen blanket, after pocketing the phone. He had feared this, and was uncertain. But he simply could not bear to see Danny in so much pain, pulling away.

He took a step toward his brother. Danny took another step away. Steve felt his own tears threatening. "No, Danny, you can't … you just can't shut us out. Please, you can't do that. We're here to help you. We need to help you! We love you, and we need you to let us help you. You're my brother!"

Danny hesitated, vacillated, but then turned and walked into Steve's arms, burying his hands-covered face against Steve's chest, and sobbed, two tiny, pleading words making it past Danny's hands. "Help me."

Steve wrapped the blanket around him and held him tight. "You bet."


	47. Chapter 47 Family Cavalry

**Chapter 47** "Family Cavalry"

 **A/N:** (23 March 2017) Thank you for the very kind reviews. You are caring people, and I'm lucky to have you. I really deeply appreciate you! 😊

This chapter mostly moves things along, and sets up the next chapter. Angel is back, and there is some dialogue that has to happen. It was a very slow chapter to write, with little description. Hopefully this works with this chapter's content.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 47** "Family Cavalry"

(Sunday, Christmas 2016, 7 p.m.)

Steve held Danny, who continued to silently cry, until Danny's knees began to give out. Steve steered him over to the bench, then realized that Danny had retreated again. Physically, he was pulling away, shutting down. He refused to look at Steve. He looked at his own hands making one fist in his lap. Steve arranged the blanket around him.

"Stupid question, but you gonna be okay?"

Danny was very still and quiet, and his head shake was almost unnoticeable. Unlike Danny in every way. His voice was barely audible, and his words only got tinier as they built in a sad desperation. "I don't want my kids to ever know, to ever see … that. If this goes to trial and has to come out as evidence, the news will put it on TV with pixels blurring my privates … and the papers and everything else that is used for communication will relish every sordid detail. If that happens, I will die. Oh God, don't let Becca see that, or know, because she won't want to marry the victim with the pixeled privates, who can't go to the corner market without being snickered at. If this goes to trial, Steve … I can't take that. Stan really did kill me."

Danny's fists had unclenched each other and were now clutching the blanket so tight around him that his knuckles were white, and pressure was on the thumb in the cast. He was trying to bring it into the grip, and Steve had to remind him not to move his thumb. Danny let go of the blanket and his hands flopped to his lap and his head slumped forward, as energy visibly drained from him. Steve had to settle the blanket again so it would not fall from his shoulders, and kept his own good arm around him so he would not fall off the bench.

"I have a plan to keep this from trial. We can't lose you now. Do you trust me? Us?"

Steve had to wait for the answer, but finally Danny gave a depressed nod.

"Good, Danny. I promise the public will never know." Steve's phone was vibrating in his pocket, so he pulled it out.

It was Dr. Cornett, who minced no words. "What's wrong with Danny? Angel is frantic, and I called his room, no answer. I called you because I don't want to alert Becca or the kids."

Steve scrunched the phone between his shoulder and ear, so he could keep his other arm around Danny. "Doc, not good. He wanted to know what happened, all of it. Mo's video. Doc, he's PTSD-ing bad. We took a walk, we're on the patio down from his room."

"Can you get him back to his room? I'm calling in some meds and bringing in Angel. Get him back to his room. Be there in 20."

Steve pocketed his phone again, and didn't ask if Danny was up to walking back. Steve simply scooped him up, and it said a lot that the man who at any other time would have simply shot him for doing this merely tensed up, whimpered, slammed his eyes shut and clutched at Steve's shirt. He relaxed into his mattress and pillows back in his room, rolled on his side, his back to the door and therefore the rest of the world, and drew his knees up toward his chest. Semi-fetal. Not good, but Steve had seen worse PTSD before, just never from Danny. Considering what Danny had been through, he wasn't overdoing it.

Steve pulled the blanket over Danny and simply stayed by his side in the chair, and wondered if he had made a huge mistake in showing Mo's video.

Danny spoke up. He had been staring at Steve's cast, and he whispered, "I am so sorry you were hurt. I am so sorry you were hurt, and Neil and Jason and M-M-Mo were killed."

"I'll be fine, Danny. It's okay."

"It's not okay. It's not okay." That was the only thing Danny said for the rest of the wait. He scrunched a little tighter on his side, and kept repeating, "It's not okay," with his eyes closed.

Dr. Cornett arrived, with Angel in her carrier. They heard him coming because they heard Angel's unhappy meows getting nearer. The doctor released the carrier latch as soon as he entered the room and had the door closed behind him, and Angel literally leaped from the carrier to Danny's shoulder, then scooted down his chest and repositioned so that she was nose to nose with him, one paw on his clean-shaven cheek, which threw her for a moment, before she started purring with as much love as her furry little body could manage. Danny opened his eyes, saw her, began to cry again, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Angel," which also startled the white kitten with a few dilute calico markings into stopping purring and blinking three times, before she shoved her face into Danny's in what amounted to a declaration of cat adoration (and a little bit of "Don't be silly!) before she started to purr again for all she was able. She didn't seem to mind being held so tightly. She just kept purring.

Dr. Cornett frowned at the fetal position, but got to work, pulling on gloves. He took vitals, and a nurse came bearing a tray of medications in syringes. Danny was silent, allowing the insertion of a new IV, which was promptly injected with medications it was time for anyway, plus an extra kick of sedative.

Danny slipped with a sad sigh into sleep, and afterwards was turned onto his back and made comfortable, his Santa Pajamas exchanged for hospital regulation pants, gown, socks and head covering. Every effort was made to respect Danny's personal dignity, and the Santa Hat became Angel's fluffy bed. It remained by Danny's head, where Angel had taken up her position as his protector and guardian. After fitting an oxygen mask over Danny's nose and mouth, Dr. Cornett called the department responsible for such things to install immediately a sign on Danny's door saying that there was a Therapy Animal In Training within, who should not be touched or let loose without instructions. Steve noticed that Angel's name had been embroidered in black Script onto her pink harness, along with (in smaller letters) Please Do Not Touch. "Becca did that; she sews," explained Dr. Cornett when he saw Steve looking at the embroidery.

It was only after Danny was soundly asleep that Steve and the doctor talked. "He hasn't physically lost ground, not enough to worry me. But this will slow his recovery if we don't handle this right. His medications are adjusted to take his emotional state into consideration. When he awakens, we will switch the oxygen mask to a nasal cannula."

Steve was holding in his own distress. It came out as virtually one word. "Doc did I do the wrong thing?"

The doctor huffed out a breath as he hooked his just-used stethoscope around his neck. "Steve … no. You got the short straw. Danny asked. I had hoped to get another day under him before he did, but he needed to know. Like an emotional infection, if you will, he needed it cleaned out so he could start to heal. As for the sudden PTSD, that is a normal reaction when there has simply been too much emotional trauma to deal with all at once. He needs time to work through it."

Steve hesitated. He was looking down at Danny, and admitted, "I was going to kill Stan for what he did to Danny."

"I know."

"I only didn't because he died before I got started."

"I know. I heard the tape recorded in the Halawa infirmary, and I'm pretty good at math."

"Nobody else figured it out," said Steve, his voice solemn.

"Maybe I know you and Danny's closeness a little better," responded the doctor. "But when Stan suddenly needed help, we'll say that instead of 'died', you wasted no time in calling for the guard and aiding in resuscitation efforts."

"Yeah."

"You weren't thinking of the recording, were you?"

Steve shook his head. "No. He needed … help." He looked the doctor in his eyes. "Are you disappointed that I went there to kill Stan?"

Steve watched Dr. Cornett search for the words to answer him. "Are you disappointed in me that I gave you two illegal syringes of what amounts to a form of truth serum?"

"No."

"I know I should be concerned with what you were going to do, but … this is Danny." Cornett shrugged. "It's Danny. Stan put him through hell and killed several people. I could not do what you were going to, but that doesn't mean I don't understand why you … you will never know if you actually would have followed through. You may believe you would have, but you may have stopped after just scaring him badly."

Steve thought about that reply. He thought he would have gone on with his plan, but it was true that he couldn't actually know, since Stan had made his plan unnecessary. "Please don't tell Danny what I was going to do."

Cornett's voice was surprisingly gentle. "I won't. That will be up to you someday, if you decide to."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad I didn't have to kill him. But I'm not sorry he's dead."

Dr. Cornett looked again at Danny's numbers. He felt his forehead for fever, having removed his gloves. "I'm a doctor. I helped in the efforts to revive Stan Edwards. When the doctor in charge called Time of Death, I was relieved."

"Because he hurt Danny."

"Because he hurt Danny," agreed Cornett.

"Doc, how long will Danny sleep?"

"I have his meds adjusted so he'll sleep through till tomorrow afternoon. Then I need the psychologist to talk with him, and hopefully by then Angel will officially be a certified Therapy Animal, and we won't have to worry about nurses or anyone else trying to evict her. Danny needs her right now."

Steve was petting Angel, a few strokes, lightly, not wanting to wake her up. She had fallen asleep on the Santa hat, snuggled up against Danny's head, neck, and shoulder. "You haven't gotten to spend much time with your son."

Dr. Cornett smiled. "Well, he understands. He's a doctor, too."

"Why don't you head home and spend more time now. I'll stay with Danny."

"And Angel. Okay. When David and the rest of the family go to sleep, do you want me to send Hannah over? She can stay with all three of you. It probably should not be Becca right now."

Steve agreed. "There's no telling what Danny might say when he wakes up, if he's depressed. He feels like Becca won't want him if the Mo video had to be shown in trial. I promised him it would not come to that. He doesn't want her to know about that. Or the kids, of course."

Dr. Cornett nodded in understanding. "How will you keep it from going to trial?"

Steve's face hardened. "Tomorrow, bright and early, I'm paying a visit to Rachel. She and I need to talk."


	48. Chapter 48 Rachel's Confessions

**Chapter 48** "Rachel's Confessions"

 **A/N:** (31 March 2017) Omigosh, you are the best audience a writer could ever wish for! Thank you for the reviews, and your kind words, your involvement in this story. I love reading your comments, and knowing this story means something to you. It means a lot to me too! *huge smile!*

FYI, I think Grace would be on the verge of 15 in this story, since I have it taking place in my AU season 7. We know she was born in 2002, probably in March?, since on 9-11-2001 Danny was looking at the first sonogram. (That was a good question!)

This chapter really had a mind of its own. I thought at first it was digressing, but it refused to go any other way. And then the part with Rachel … as long as I have seen this coming, it surprised me. But I think it went realistically. I hope so. I hope you enjoy this!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, which will now have a Season 8 to inspire even more fanfics! Yay!

 **Chapter 48** "Rachel's Confessions"

(Monday, 26 December 2016, approximately 9 a.m.)

Steve McGarrett sat on the hard chair in the interrogation room at the Hawaii Women's Correctional Facility not far from Honolulu. He was waiting for Rachel, having arranged with the facility the previous evening that he would question her at 9 a.m. She was late because she was still having occasional bouts of morning sickness. Steve was sympathetic, as he would be for anyone, but Rachel churned up so many emotions within him that he was almost glad to have a few extra minutes to collect his thoughts.

Chin and Abby had driven him over, after their several hours visit with the sleeping, nightmare troubled Danny. Now Kono was with their friend. Hannah and Becca had all taken turns with Steve and Five-0 during the night. All of Five-0 had been called one at a time by Steve and informed that Danny knew all, and was emotionally down for the count, as least for a while. They would make sure he was never left alone, even if they would let his behavior dictate how much they would try to interact with him. But he would know they were there, and that they loved him.

Angel was ever at his side, except for those few minutes even she had to visit the little catbox in the bathroom, or nibble on the moist catfood left on a plate. Chin, Abby and Kono (along with, of course, Steve, Hannah and Becca, and Dr. Cornett) were all exempt from the "Do Not Touch" embroidery on Angel's harness. She had accepted them all, but Angel had shown through the night that she had one exception to her acceptance of Danny's ohana. It read something like, "Don't get between me and my Person when he needs me."

At some point during the night, Becca had plopped the Santa Hat on Danny's sternum, because that is where Angel had taken up residence when Danny had a nightmare and needed comforting. She would awaken and sit there, with her paws on either side of Danny's face, nose to nose or chin on chin, whichever seemed to work, and purr until her Person calmed a little. Then she would sit on the hat, eyes unwavering on Danny (something like the alert kitten version of Snoopy's 'Vulture' thing), and when she felt him ease from the current nightmare tension, she would curl up on the hat and sleep until she awakened again to try and soothe Danny while whoever was sitting with him soothed him as well.

Quite a few things had been done in those hours while Danny slept, at first peacefully, but then steadily more fitfully. The medications kept him from awakening, but they did not stop the twitches, the wordless protests, the occasionally clearly said word or short sentence. The most frequent thing Danny said, in anything from a forceful mumble to a whispered plead, was either, "Stan, don't," or "Don't touch me!" Everyone but Becca and Hannah had a very good idea of the subject of his nightmares, although some were clearly about the time spent isolated in the box.

Steve had been busy after his talk with Dr. Cornett. Before the doc went home to visit more with his son, he had made a copy of a document for Steve, which Steve now had folded in a pocket of his cargo pants. Then he had called everyone, and learned when he would have company in his bedside vigil. Before Chin and Abby had arrived, at about 5 a.m., they had stopped by Steve's house and brought him a full change of clothes. Steve had taken a 'lazy SEAL's' shower – lasting 5 minutes – in the shower in Danny's hospital room. He had skipped breakfast, although he had indulged in hot tea from the vending machine. He did not want to be on a caffeine high when he talked with Rachel. Nor did he want there to be ammo in his stomach.

Finally Rachel arrived, and Steve rose and stepped aside as the Matron cuffed Rachel's wrists to the bar on the table separating her from Steve. The Matron left the room at Steve's nod, though Steve knew she would wait outside the door.

Steve studied Rachel Edwards as he took his seat again. She looked tired, with dark smudges under her eyes, which her lack of makeup accentuated. Her hair was showing the days without fancy hair products, but she still had a natural beauty no one could deny. Her belly was definitely showing her pregnancy, while her emotions were hard to read. She seemed more than anything to be annoyed with her handcuffs.

"I am sorry for your loss," said Steve, formally, testing the waters.

Rachel hesitated, looked to be searching for something more eloquent to say, but finally settled on simply glancing up at him briefly before sighing. "Thank you."

Steve wanted to get this over with. So he dove in. "Thank you for not insisting that your lawyer be present."

Rachel finally looked him square in the eyes. Dull brown met intense sea green. "You know it is only because this makes anything we say inadmissible in a court of law. I'm doing you no favors."

"I am well aware of that, Mrs. Edwards."

"Oh, nice. So we are going to be very formal. Very well, Commander. How is Danny, and what is his response to my demand?"

Steve sat back in his chair, and used his left hand to run his fingers through his hair. "Let me be plain," he said, forcing the irritation he felt to only show slightly. "I am not speaking for Danny, as I do not have his permission, and he does not know I am here. Neither is he physically able to be here to give you his response, and I am quite sure you know why. You and your deceased husband did do everything in your power to destroy him and everything in his life. He isn't allowed out of the hospital yet."

"Stan bungled everything. –And I cannot even say I am that surprised." Rachel scowled. "So Danny really doesn't know you are here? Do you expect me to believe that? You're here to do his dirty work for him, or to soften me up – I'll figure out which it is eventually. I am smarter than you think I am."

Steve did not let his voice harden, but his eyes darkened. "You are not proving it yet. You were married to the man, so you ought to know he doesn't send someone to do his dirty work for him. He does it himself."

Rachel smiled briefly. It was not a nice smile. "That is actually true. He was the only man I've cared about who didn't say 'How high?' when I said, 'Jump.' I think that is why he stayed in my heart. I could manipulate him to an extent, but beyond well-defined boundaries, he never gave in to me."

Steve looked down at his left hand, resting on the table. He murmured, "At least you admit you cared about him."

"Commander, don't irritate me. You know I still do. Why else ask for a reconciliation?"

Steve's facial muscles hardened, and were relaxed by force of will. "You didn't ask. You demanded. You are trying to manipulate Danny into giving you what you want, when you know it is not what he wants, so to make his choice all the harder you threaten to abort Stan's baby, and tell him you have already aborted one of his children." Steve shook his head, honest confusion showing through on his face. "How could you play with his heart like that? You 'care' about him, yet you abort his child years ago, and throw it at him to force him to give you what you now want. I don't understand you at all."

Rachel sighed. "It isn't Stan's baby," she admitted.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Steve just stared at Rachel in shock. "Then who is the father? It isn't Danny."

"No, it isn't Danny. We haven't been … since I reconciled with Stan when I was carrying Charlie." Rachel used her bottom to pull her chair closer to the table so she could sit back more comfortably. She looked tired. "Look, I was never much good at being faithful. Stan bored me, and I took lovers. He took lovers, had mistresses, and I really didn't care. Danny was the only one who was faithful. Maybe that's why I want him back. But even when we were married, I had an occasional dalliance, especially when I was annoyed with him, his refusal to give in to my demands to leave the police force and take a safer job. So, I found ways to hurt him, and then waited for when those things were most hurtful to tell him, and some things haven't come out yet. The abortion was useful now, so I used it now."

"You do the strangest things to the men you profess to love. Do vows mean anything to you?"

Rachel shrugged barely. "Marriage vows are words people say on days when they are not thinking straight because everything is all rosey and the future seems all bliss. Then the real world rears its ugly head and for most people vows go out the window." She sighed again. "You've never been married. You wouldn't know any of this."

Steve knew that, to him, vows were sacred. He had taken sacred vows as a SEAL, as a protector of the people of Hawaii, and in his mind had taken them with each and every friend who had made it inside the part of his heart reserved for those he called 'ohana', and therefore he rejected everything Rachel said. He knew when he and Hannah married, he would no matter what ever take another woman to his bed. But that didn't bear on this, so he brought the conversation back to the point. "Who is the father of this baby, Rachel?"

Rachel seemed disappointed that Steve was still in control of the conversation. "You and Daniel are a lot alike, Commander." She flipped her hair off her shoulders with a shake of her head, and said, flatly, "Jason Black. And he's dead, too."

"Did you know Stan was going to kill him?" Steve thought fast. "Did Stan kill him because he knew the baby wasn't his?"

"No." Rachel drew out the word. Then she lifted her shoulders and Steve could see the moment when she decided to level with him. "Let me tell you about Jason, and Dubai. The whole reason I adored him so much. He was a man I could control, because he was so in love with me. He would do anything for me." She smiled at memories Steve was glad he was not privy to. "So he and Stan looked so much alike, and Stan took a lot of short trips. And then Jason and I did not even have to hide being together in public, since everyone assumed he was Stan. Of course, we were discreet anyway. I don't think Stan knew. He had ways of letting me know when he knew. He wasn't nice … like Jason. Sometimes Stan hit me, but never badly. And I hit him back."

"Do I need to know this?" asked Steve.

"If you want me to tell you what you want to know, you will have to listen to me tell you things you may not want to know. Fair is fair. I may be in prison, but I still get to call these shots, right now." Rachel removed any trace of a smile, and blew out an irritated, quick breath.

So Steve heard the story about Jason Black and Rachel Edwards. Jason had worked for the company with Stan, and the two had virtually identical jobs. They both took trips to secure business deals, problem solve, and both were offered promotions which included relocating to different parts of the nation, even the world.

But Jason did not have to stay in Hawaii, like Stan did, because of the custody arrangement that prevented him from leaving Hawaii. Rachel hadn't really minded until she and Jason had been having an affair for awhile, and he was offered the job in another company, in Dubai.

Jason accepted it, because he would be free to return to Hawaii often. But Rachel asked Jason to have the same offer extended to Stan, and then mentioned to Stan that Danny was all that was standing in the way of them really moving up in the world.

"I remember saying to him, 'If Danny's job were just a little more dangerous, this custody thing would not stop you from taking the job.' And Stan took the bait. He asked me, quite shocked I think, if he wanted me to kill Daniel."

Steve felt queasy, and pulled his hand into his lap, since he did not want to physically even touch the table Rachel was touching. "So you set Stan up to kill Danny? Is that what you wanted?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Commander, were you listening? I had a man who adored me, moving to Dubai, and a marriage I could not get out of until I was no longer tied to Danny anymore, because he was keeping me from being able to move to Dubai too! Of course I wanted Stan to kill Danny, _then_! Danny was in my way! Now, he's not. I'm trying to make the best of this ridiculous situation I am in."

Steve stood up and walked around, disgusted. "Lady, you are a selfish piece of work." He turned to face Rachel, stuffing his left hand in the most convenient pocket. "So you are carrying Jason's baby, and you say you loved him, but now are willing to abort if Danny doesn't reconcile with you and adopt Jason's baby."

"Yes. Except I know Danny will give in to me, because of the baby. He's soft that way. That is why I told him about the abortion."

"I have no clue about your logic on this, but that's beside the point. Do you know how Danny feels now that he knows you never even told him he had another daughter because you got rid of her because, what, was the timing bad? She complicated your life at a bad time, and had to go?"

Rachel was growing increasingly angry. "Commander, have you ever even considered what it is like to be a woman who discovers she is pregnant just when she is thinking seriously about getting a divorce from a man who is _tenacious_ in his love for his child? There were times I thought Daniel loved Grace more than he loved me! Add another baby into the mix, and I did not want to postpone the divorce when I made up my mind that we were through. From my point of view, I was doing the right thing."

"And from Danny's point of view, he lost his daughter and his wife, and had to fight to be included in Grace's life." Steve was now fighting his own battle with anger. "And on Christmas, you tell him about his lost daughter. How could you do that?"

Rachel shrugged with only one shoulder. "Stan had the audacity to die on me when he did, and that made it necessary to tell Danny on Christmas. There's nothing more to it." She sighed again. "Besides, there's no way I can be sure it was even Danny's baby. I told you, I wasn't faithful. I'm not even sure if Grace is his."

Steve leaned against the table, one handed. "Really? You don't know? Well, let me tell you something, Mrs. Edwards. I had a feeling you were going to throw this at Danny sooner or later, so I legally obtained the information you claim to lack."

He pulled out the folded piece of paper from his cargo pocket. "Look at it. It's a copy, so you can rip it up if you want, because I can always get another one. But that paper lists Grace and Charlie as full blood siblings. And we know that Danny is Charlie's father, and therefore he is Grace's father too. And if you think that learning that you were unfaithful to him as well as aborted someone's baby is going to make him anxious to give in to your demands now that you are the widow of a man you used to try to have Danny killed … you're insane. Besides, Danny is engaged now to a woman he loves with his whole heart, so you're too late, lady. He's taken."

Rachel spit out, after looking over the paper, eyes flashing, "Then you better tell him to get un-engaged, because the only way I have of keeping him from testifying against me in trail is to marry him again. A spouse cannot be made to testify against their spouse."

Steve smiled a cold smile that made his eyes look like winter storm skies. "And the true motive comes out. Let me explain about the law, lady. A spouse cannot be forced to testify against their spouse. But if they do so willingly, they can do so in incredibly powerful detail. And there's no law preventing their friends from testifying. Danny has a few very close friends who would testify against you, even if he asked us not to."

Steve put the document given to him by Dr. Cornett back into his pocket. "Do you want to know the best way to give yourself a break? You are up on so many charges, you will get a long sentence."

Rachel was breathing hard, tense, and looking scared. "I'm listening, Commander."

"Waive any trial, plead guilty, have the baby and let Jason Black's family have first right to adopt, so they have something of him still living, and let Danny get on with his life, which you tried so hard to take from him."

"What would that gain me?"

"Self respect. Showing you have an interest in amending your mistakes, and giving the judge some indication that you care about someone on this earth besides yourself."

"But I don't," Rachel admitted softly. "Not really. I only have me."

"If you force a trial, I guarantee you a very long sentence. It won't be short, even if you do as I suggested. But you might get out when you are in your late 50's. And the people you have hurt and caused their deaths, even if you didn't kill them yourself, will be spared a lot more pain than they have already had to go through."

"And if it goes to trial?"

"The evidence is rock solid, and forcing a trail will result in the judge giving you maximum, given the nature of the charges and the cruelty inflicted on the victims. If you do what I suggest, you can pull your life together even behind bars, and try to make amends."

"I don't care about those people," Rachel murmured hollowly.

"Then care about yourself."

"But I am," she said with very little inflection. "I rather enjoy hurting people, especially when I'm hurting. Misery loves company." She sighed and looked at Steve with very clear eyes. "Tell Daniel I expect to see him in the next few days. Very few. And he had better break off that engagement. Remember, not all my secrets have yet come out." She called for the Matron, who came in. "Take me back to my cell." She didn't bother to say goodbye to Steve. He was left with the feeling that he had never even visited. But he pulled out the small recorder in his back pocket and played back the last things Rachel had said, and sadly pocketed it, wondering if he had done any good at all.


	49. Chapter 49 Crashing

**Chapter 49** "Crashing"

 **A/N:** (7 April 2017) You people are so great! I know the juxtaposition of the chapter and the episode last week were so enormous, it had to have been odd to make the transition. I really love the way Rachel is played on the series, and think the actress is amazing. She and Danny have an undeniable chemistry. And here I am portraying the AU Rachel as a sociopathic, personality disordered (w)itch! I adore Scott Caan working with Clair Van Der Boom. So thank you for working through the strange dichotomy of my AU-verse crazy Rachel and the show's canon Rachel! Your reviews were wonderful! Thank you!

CBS owns all things Five-0, except our plots and our OCs! (And I cannot wait for tonight's episode!)

 **Chapter 49** "Crashing"

(Monday, 26 December 2016, 10:15 a.m.)

Steve McGarrett sat in the waiting room after interviewing Rachel Edwards, consumed with worry that their conversation might have even made things worse while all he had wanted to do was improve things. Now it sounded like Rachel was going to push the case against her to trial unless Danny himself was able to talk her out of it. The Danny she had been unfaithful to while married to him. She had aborted a daughter that might have been his if she hadn't been unfaithful, and therefore didn't even know who the father was. Steve was not sure that the possibility the baby wasn't his would make much difference to him. Someone had lost a child. It might be his.

If it wasn't his, it was proof that Rachel had been unfaithful. It was one more thing to make Danny feel kicked in the gut. 'What a mess,' thought Steve, knowing there would be no way after all this time to prove one way or other if that child had been Danny's, or some other man's.

It sure wouldn't help Danny feel better to know his wife hadn't even been faithful to him. Steve knew he would have to tell Danny, because if he didn't, Rachel would. Which had him springing to life to call Kono, to ask her to make sure all Danny's calls were held, and to hold onto Danny's personal phone until they could tell the lawyer not to try to get through to Danny. It would be just like Rachel to slide in with her poison before Steve thought to render her efforts useless.

"Will do, Boss," said Kono, who actually had already taken possession of Danny's phone so it wouldn't ring and disturb the already troubled sleep of her Five-0 brother. "I'll tell the nurse's station right away. I'm guessing things went badly?"

Steve let out a discouraged breath he had not even realized he had been holding. "Things went badly. Rachel is a bitch. I got it all on tape, so you'll hear as soon as I get back. Speaking of which, I'm going to call Duke and see if there is an officer out this way who can pick me up and bring me back to Tripler. I don't want Danny left alone. Is he sleeping any better?"

Kono had witnessed two nightmares, the second of which had almost awakened Danny, and so distressed Angel that she had sat on Danny's Santa-hatted sternum, meowing sadly until Kono had called the nurse, who did an assessment, and called Dr. Cornett, who had increased the sedative. "Danny's fever is up a little. The Doc is on his way in as soon as he drops his son and daughter-in-law at the airport, so call it an hour from now. He already called in a ton of bloodwork, which is being processed now."

This did not sound like good news at all. Steve's mood fell a bit lower than it already was. "Okay. Let me know if anything else changes. I'll probably be an hour getting back, too. Can I bring you anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm good," said Kono, watching Angel sleep on Danny, who was currently sleeping deeply. She had to resist the urge to pet Angel and run her hand soothingly up and down Danny's arm. "Boss, it's the day after Christmas, and I don't think a nurse in this hospital hasn't brought in some goodie or other. The problem is that it's all sweet stuff. This gal needs protein. I'll call down to the cafeteria and get a sandwich." But Steve heard the hesitation in Kono's voice when she asked the question he could tell was really on her mind. "It really went badly? Should we worry?"

He nodded to the air. "Yeah," he answered, considered explaining, but did not wanting to go into it when he still had Rachel's poison ringing in his own ears. He wanted to get back to Tripler. "I'll tell you when I get there. Don't let Danny take any calls. Give Danny my love. Kono? Love you too."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve managed to get a ride from Officer Pua Kai, the object of Charlie Williams' abject hero worship, after his Dad and Steve, of course. Naturally, the cop asked about Danny, and listened to the abbreviated litany of his ailments, which was much shorter than the actual list. Steve did admit that he had seen photos of his house, and was taking it hard, to which Pua Kai nodded in complete understanding.

So Steve changed the subject to Pua's Christmas. It turned out the officer who had at one time had a charmingly awkward (and persistent) crush on Kono Kalakaua had spent the day before meeting his girlfriend's parents. "I was so nervous!"

"I'll bet! That's quite the milestone! How did you meet, uh, Cynthia?" Steve had been distracted when her name was mentioned so quickly at the beginning that he just hoped he wasn't too far off the mark.

"Sylvia. Her mom is Cynthia. Anyway, she works as a clerk in the paper shop I frequent since I started writing my novel. She's the nice -"

Steve did the physical equivalent of saying "whoa!" "Wait a second, a novel? You're writing a novel?"

"Yes. It's about my academy days, and what it's like to be a cop. I'm kindof aiming it at school-age kids, who might want to know what it's like. Of course, I leave out the gore and death and tetanus shots and stuff like that. But there's a character in there based on you, Commander McGarrett, who drives like a maniac and -"

Steve frowned, mystified, and instantly interrupted, with words Danny would have been reciting silently in his head in his Steve-voice, had he been riding with them. "Whoawhoawhoa! I don't drive like a maniac. I drive like a cop."

Pua Kai was not one to back down. But he held his ground gently. "You drive legendarily like a maniac. Detective Williams is right."

Steve was so comforted, he had to be quiet for a moment as he felt Danny's presence with him, something he missed so badly, he had to blink a few times. But then the gentle cargument was on, and Steve felt so much better afterwards, he bought Pua take-out lunch at Kamekona's shrimp truck, and even got a small serving of rice for Danny, in case he was allowed to have it.

With Kamekona's best wishes for Danny still fresh in his ears, and more information about Pua's book and girlfriend, Steve was dropped off at Tripler, where he hurried inside, just as his phone rang. It was Kono. She sounded terrified.

"It's Danny! Hurry! He's having a terrible reaction to some drug that was confused for the one he was supposed to get. He can't breathe! He's –it's bad!"

"Is the Doc there?" Steve's blood pressure had skyrocketed, and he thanked the Lord that he was fleet of foot and Danny's room was near. He ran the way he drove.

"Yes! Oh God, Steve! He keeps crashing!"

He arrived just as Danny was being rushed down the corridor to the ER, amongst a hive of hospital personnel and equipment, and Cornett didn't even look at him as he paused the gurney on which lay Danny, his chest bare. The Doc called, "Clear!" and applied the paddles to Danny's chest, trying to shock his heart back into beating, almost right in front of Steve. Danny had never looked so pale. One of the monitors was showing a flat line. "Again! 3 – 2 – 1 clear!" Danny's body jolted upwards as the paddles were applied a second (or was it a third or fourth?) time. His limp body settled. The line fluttered back to life.

"Got a pulse! Go! Go! Go!" barked Cornett. And they were off and running for the ER. Steve was absolutely certain the doctor never even realized he was there.

Steve walked unsteadily to Kono's side, and wrapped his good around her shaking shoulders, for she was crying, and Steve didn't even realize he was too. Danny had been unconscious, intubated, and it seemed like every machine in the hospital was attached to him. He felt Kono's racing heart, and knew his was racing too, the opposite of what Danny's had been doing.

"Stay with us, Danno, stay with us," he whispered, terrified.


	50. Chapter 50 Wow

**Chapter 50** "Wow"

 **A/N:** (8 April 2017) Hi, with so many thank yous. You are such invested readers, and it's so kind of you to let me know. I love writing for you.

The kind of mix-up that happened in the previous chapter is explained in this one. The problem is, this happens more frequently than one would think. I've had it happen to me, and once a pharmacist mixed up a prescription for ibuprofen with a mislabeled bottle of Xanax. I had gone to pick up the prescription for a friend of mine, and when I realized the mistake, I hit the roof. I've seen news stories about drugs that have names so similar, it's amazing this doesn't happen a LOT. So, in no way did I make this up. People have in fact died from these mishaps.

It's scary!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0. (And I was strangely disappointed with the episode featuring Chicago and Lou & Son on the one hand (liked that part) and the return of Shioma. That part didn't work for me at all. But I'm glad Jerry finally got his badge.)

 **Chapter 50** "Wow"

(Monday, 26 December 2016, 12:30 p.m.)

Steve kept his arm around Kono, who was crying harder than he had ever seen her. He knew she had suffered a great shock – and that word in Steve's mind made him wince so hard he felt literally dizzy. "He's gonna be okay, he is. You know Danno is strong."

"Steve, you didn't see it! I can't even think about it! I feel like I watched him die! He woke up and sat up, disoriented, looked me right in the eyes, said, 'Kono, I feel funny,' and his coloring was all wrong, like putty. Then his eyes rolled back, he flopped in slow motion onto his side and vomited horribly, then stopped breathing, his heart stopped! Machines were screaming! I think I was screaming! Steve, I can't unsee it!"

Steve swallowed around the baseball in his throat. He had to comfort Kono. That was his job, and pray for Danny. Pray like crazy for Danny. "He didn't die. He's not dead. They got a pulse."

"After six tries!"

Six? Steve knees felt weak. "Cornett won't let him die."

A kindly nurse, looking pale, gently guided Steve and Kono back into a room not Danny's. It was being cleaned, and scoured for the phial of medication he had been given which had sent him to the ER at warp speed. Steve sat Kono down and pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. He was about to sit down when he shot back out into the hall and up to Danny's room. "Angel! His cat! Where is his cat?"

The saddest little meow he had ever heard sounded then from inside the closed bathroom. Steve thought he would faint with relief. "Angel," he crooned on his knees, letting her out, and she jumped up into his arms and settled in his sling, and he fetched the Santa hat and she meowed piteously, and he asked someone to bring her litterbox and food and water bowl, and carried her back to the other room, holding her by the scruff while she hunkered in his sling, just in case she panicked. If they lost Angel, it would devastate Danny. And … if they lost Danny, after all this, at least they would have his kitten.

"Steve, Angel knew something was wrong," Kono said forcefully. "She woke up and kept pawing at Danny's face, trying to wake him, meowing at him, at me. I got scared and called the nurse, and then it all happened. Angel knew! I swear she knew it was going to happen. She tried to warn us."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Two hours later they were still waiting for official word on Danny, but nurses were silent and worried. The gathered Five-0 and their friends were largely silent, but they knew how things were going in the ER, because Angel was still inconsolable. They had called everyone, and everyone had come, because they knew this was serious. Becca was there, and Hannah, and Kamekona, Jerry, Max after he finished Stan's autopsy. Grace was there, because they literally didn't know if this was it or not. Charlie was not there, because he was too young to sit vigil like this. Dr. Cornett's wife was with him, keeping him occupied and unaware.

In the third hour, Angel stopped her tense stance, and settled more easily into Steve's sling, where she remain with her Santa hat. She was more relaxed, which was not to say she was relaxed. Word came a half hour later through a nurse that they had identified the drug and administered the antidote, and Danny was holding his own. By 7 p.m. he was extubated and breathing on his own, with only an oxygen mask as an assist, and his vitals were all back in the normal range. They fluctuated on the low side, but Becca said it was to be expected until the drug was flushed from his system. Angel was now asleep, exhausted, in Steve's sling.

At 7:30, Dr. Cornett came into Danny's room, because everyone had moved back to it after it had been cleaned. With profound relief, he pronounced that Danny was out of the woods, and would recover fully. Cornett was mobbed by hugs, and everyone hugged everyone else, and Grace and Becca both burst into tears. From the Kleenex box making the rounds, they were not the only ones shedding tears.

"When can we see him, Doc?" Steve asked, stroking Angel's furry back.

"He's overnight in ICU, as a precaution, but two at a time, short visits, now. Don't worry about the wires and tubes and machines. He's going to be fine. His body has been through a lot, so he's exhausted and therefore sleeping, and I want him to get as much rest as possible. Tomorrow we hope to move him back to this room."

Steve asked, with Hannah's arm around his waist, "Is his heart, uh, okay? Any after-effects?" He had waited to ask until Becca had already led Grace out to go see Danny. Everyone knew Steve would go last and stay the longest.

Dr. Cornett folded his long frame into one of the vacated chairs, and stifled a huge yawn. He was clearly exhausted. "We did every test there is to do, including a heart catheterization to make sure there was no damage, and he's okay. We scanned his brain, his organs, and really, he is okay, for all he scared us for a couple hours there. His thumb infection is much improved. His lungs are nearly clear. If this drug mix-up had not occurred, he would have been taking walks up and down the hallway today."

"How did the mix-up happen?" asked Steve, who could not shake the sight of Danny's body heaving as the paddles that shocked his heart were applied. His nightmares had material for months from this day alone.

Dr. Cornett explained in a voice walking the knife's edge between weariness and anger. He had given instructions to the nurse concerning the antibiotic cocktail, the sedative and anti-depressant, along with a specific vitamin and mineral shot, along with medications for other patients, with their specific instructions and dosages. "I spelled them, which is my usual practice, since so many drugs have similar names but do very different things." Unfortunately, the nurse, who was on her 14th hour in her shift, had called the pharmacy, rather than sending the slips of paper down via fax, to send up the drugs in pre-dosed syringes, which were added to Danny's usual medications.

The mix-up occurred in a two-fold way. First, one of the medications was mis-heard by the pharmacy, so instead of an anti-depressant, they sent up a strong dose to quickly bring down dangerously high blood pressure. Coupled with the sedative, it was a disaster waiting to happen. But there was an additional problem. That blood pressure medication reacted very badly with certain minerals, and the reaction caused the problem with breathing. Danny's blood pressure plummeted from low-normal to unsustainably low, and was stressed further when Danny's breathing became compromised severely by the mineral reaction, very similar to an allergy that shuts down the airways.

Cornett continued tiredly. "It was touch and go for a couple hours, because we knew _what_ Danny was experiencing, just not _why_. We needed to find the specific drug, and the nurse had gone off shift and was not answering her calls. The trash had been collected, so the slip of paper the pharmacist had written down what he heard had been picked up, so we had to find that, which required chasing a dump truck and digging through trash on the side of the highway, then cross referencing every medication order with every patient on this floor of the hospital, until we knew exactly what was happening. Luckily, there was an antidote. But in another thirty minutes, it wouldn't have mattered." Cornett rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "This was way too close."

Tears were sliding down Steve's face. He had almost lost his best friend and brother today. He echoed, in a voice so devoid of expression, it fairly screamed with it, "Waaaay too close. Way to close."

H50 H50 H50 H50

(Tuesday, 27 December 2016, 3:45 a.m.)

Steve was sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair in Danny's ICU bay, dozing while regular beeps and blips informed him that Danny's breathing and heart rate were holding steady, not setting off any alarms. Angel was asleep in Steve's sling, snuggled up on her fluffy Santa hat bed.

Steve could hardly sleep, because he was afraid the beeps and blips would stop. He glanced at Danny often. Becca, in the chair on the other side of the bed, had fallen asleep with her fingers entwined with Danny's.

Angel suddenly woke up and sat up, staring intently at Danny. Steve tensed and sat up, too, only relaxing when Angel began to purr. Beeps and blips stayed comfortingly regular, but Danny was awakening. His eyelashes fluttered until he could open his light blue, shadow-smudged eyes. He saw Steve and smiled, then realized Becca's fingers were entwined with his, and Angel was purring at him. He yawned. "Morning," and then made a startled sound. "Throat," he croaked softly. "Hurts."

Becca stirred but didn't quite awaken. Steve had already reached for the cup of ice chips. "Here, have some of these." He fed Danny a spoonful. "Does that feel good? Just nod if it does. Rest your throat." He did not tell him about the intubation earlier.

Danny smiled, and nodded. His eyelids were at half mast. "Chicken soup?" he croaked, hopefully.

"You want chicken soup?"

Danny nodded.

"I'll ask the nurse to get you some." He pressed the button, and the nurse, an extraordinarily buxom woman with hips to match, came and then left to get the soup, which was allowed.

Danny first watched the swaying of the front, and was now watching the swaying of the back of the nurse. He resumed blinking when she disappeared from sight. His voice scratched out one word. "Wow."

Steve smiled, also watching. "A definite wow. Have some more ice chips."

Becca slept through the ice chips and the soup, which Steve fed to Danny in little spoonsful. Halfway through the cup, Danny said, "Steve, need you to know something."

Steve stilled. This sounded serious. Danny was staring into his eyes, and his soul was in them.

"When I say 'I hate you,' I don't mean it. K? Maybe once. Twice. You know, right?"

Steve smiled, and his soul was in his eyes, too. He was going to ask about that once, twice, when Danny's voice was up to it. "I know, Danny."

"K. Love you. Don't hate you. Need you to know."

"I know, Danny. Here, have some more soup. You still sound awful."

"You finish it."

"You full?"

Danny's eyes, even returned to half mast, were sparkling with mischief. "No. I want to see if Wow will bring us some more."

Steve grinned, swallowed the soup, and pressed the nurse's call button.


	51. Chapter 51 Doing Better

**Chapter 51** "Doing Better"

 **A/N:** (15 April 2017) It never gets old, thanking you for your very kind and thoughtful reviews, and the love you are showing this story. I am very grateful, and happy to be writing something you enjoy.

This chapter is another present to you all, with the hopes you enjoy it.

I promise to deal with Rachel as soon as the story lets me, which may be next chapter, somewhere in there. *Hugs* to all!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and has an interesting Danny-centric episode coming up, which I just read a little blurb about. No more spoilers other than that, but I am looking forward to it!

 _I put Danny's thoughts in italics_.

 **Chapter 51** "Doing Better"

(Tuesday, 27 December 2016, 3 p.m.)

It had already been quite an interesting day, in strange and wonderful ways, plus some things Danny knew he would have to work through slowly, emotionally. He was being quiet, while Steve and (of all people) Lou Grover kept him company, back in his room. They were talking quietly near the door, because Danny had his eyes closed, and was very relaxed, not even trying to overhear what they were saying because he had so much to think about. And some of it involved Lou.

Danny had been sprung from ICU around noon. Kono, Chin and Abby had all been in to see him, with Hannah at Steve's side as long as she could be, and Becca at Danny's side as long as she could be, because she had to work today. Every chance she got, she popped in to see him, and of course so did his doc, the man who had no-other-way-to-put-it saved his life. Again. Possibly again squared, since Danny hadn't forgotten his gratitude when, a bit over a year ago, his girlfriend Melissa (then called Amber) had rushed him in to Tripler's ER, bleeding and barely conscious from taking a butcher knife to the gut, courtesy of Amber's crazy ex-husband. Who Danny didn't even know about then. Who had patched him up? This doctor, taller than Steve, kinder than a prayer, and unforgettable.

But Danny had forgotten more or less about him after a year of visiting other ERs as a patient or visitor, until the plane disaster, with Steve shot up while piloting a plane in an undercover drug sting gone totally south. Rushed to Tripler after Danny of the zero piloting skills had been talked through not crashing the crippled Cesna on Waikiki beach, with the CLEAR THE BEACH sirens still blaring, Steve had gotten very lucky with the attending physician assigned his case, who Danny remembered well when he saw him again, and who he trusted to get Steve –and himself—through Danny donating half his liver to the otherwise-not-going-to-make-it Steve.

It was amazing, the unexpected things that happened in hospitals.

Dr. Isaac Cornett was now an important figure in both their lives, and in a stranger than fiction twist he was going to be their father-in-law, because he was Becca and Hannah's father. At least Danny had also met his future wife in this hospital. Steve had met Hannah at the Cornett's home. He reminded himself to take Chin up on that offer to play the recording Pua Kai had made of that meeting. He wasn't sure how Pua fit into that scenario, but soon enough he would know. Pua had also been by briefly to see him.

 _Life is so strange, and so unpredictable, and so beautiful just when you think it is so bad, you don't know how you will get through._ But Danny knew that people got him through. People who meant a lot to him, strangers praying for him, nurses and doctors and friends of friends' friends. The kindness of strangers. He didn't open his eyes to look again at the stacks of as-yet-unopened cards on the bedside cart. They had been waiting for him when he was returned to his room. He still couldn't get his head and heart around the kindness people were showing him, a stranger but for one little news story that had run a few hours after he was still unconscious, having had to fight for his life with the help of a truly kind, compassionate, and skilled and stubborn doctor who was not about to give up on one of his soon-to-be sons-in-law. _How did I get so lucky? …How did_ _ **I**_ _get so lucky?_

Yesterday, Danny had been in the strong grip of PTSD, depressed, silent beyond what was a very bad sign in him at any time. And then a bizarre accident had happened, and he had almost died. Danny Williams knew what had happened to him the day before. He knew about the medication mix-up, and the near disaster that had followed it. He had spent hours thinking about it after sharing chicken soup with Steve in the pre-dawn hours down in ICU. He had thought about a lot of things while Steve finally slept in the plastic chair, and Becca kept him company, taking charge of Angel, who had to avoid sleeping on him because of the wires monitoring every organ, brainwave, heartbeat and rhythm, breath, the oxygen saturation of his blood from that breath, and a few things he felt were way too personal, but were thankfully gone now. Angel was playing with ribbons on the bright mylar balloons tied to the chair next to the bed, the one Steve would take back when he finished talking with Lou. Angel was acting like a kitten, instead of the now official Therapy Animal she had papers to prove, and the little ID badge she wore on her collar.

What a day it had been. Danny felt content, listening without listening to Steve and Lou talk and his kitten playing with balloon ribbons.

Normally, knowing he had been intubated and had to have help to breathe, had had his heart shocked back into beating more times than he felt even Dr. Cornett was telling him, would have upset him greatly, to put it mildly. Today, he didn't really mind. He was alive, when he could easily have succumbed. His doctor had refused to give up on him, when the assisting physician had twice opined out loud that it was a lost cause. But Dr. Cornett had kept trying until the medication he was reacting to was known, and the antidote administered. After that, his improvement had been rapid.

He was very tired. And he ached all over, in a way that told him they were being very careful about his medications. He was not on 'the good stuff'. Whatever he was on was keeping the pain manageable, but he was not able to sleep with the level of discomfort he was feeling. Had he really wanted to, he could have called the nurse and probably gotten a topper to whatever he was being given, just enough to dull the aches enough that he could sleep.

But he wanted to think, and this was a good time for that. He hadn't been left alone since … the box. _Funny, I wasn't even alone then, because I had Angel._ But since being rescued, he had literally not been alone one moment, so if he needed to think, he closed his eyes and took whatever occasion afforded itself. He wasn't about to tell his friends to scram. They needed to be with him, and he needed to have them at his side.

The worst thing was his sore throat. It had been bruised by the tube that allowed him to be hooked to the breathing machine. The shocks to his heart had required all medical personnel to stand back, so the arching of his body had caused his throat to press on the tube. It was scraped and raw, and bruised. His voice sounded like his vocal chords were made of rusty wires full of sand. Which was a strange image, unsettling, so Danny let it vanish like vapor into a blue sky.

But Danny would accept a sore throat over a coffin any day. He was glad to be alive. He was very grateful to his doctor for not giving up on him, and for the prayers and hopes from his friends for his recovery, and all the people he didn't even know who had been praying for him, were still praying for him.

Their prayers and hopes had been answered. He had survived, and would recover fully. Grace and Charlie still had their father, and his friends and family did not have to figure out how to cope with attending his funeral. No one had to grieve for him. Not today. _Not today. I am so blessed._

Technically, Danny knew he had grounds to sue the socks off Tripler, except he really didn't want to. It was a mistake, and he had used his scratchy voice to ask Dr. Cornett to make sure the nurse and pharmacist got into no trouble. His doc had come through for him again, and had also informed him that policy was now that med orders had to either be faxed down to the pharmacy, or entered into the computer, and double-checked. No more meds ending in -ilol being mistaken for something ending in -olol.

Danny had never felt anger at the nurse who had made the error. She was nice, but when her replacement had had to miss her shift to run her husband to the Queen's hospital ER, because he had tripped in the dark over their kid's Christmas train set and given himself a concussion landing on the locomotive, the smokestack (non-working) then punching a nasty hole in his forehead. So his nurse had to stay until they found someone to fill in –rules of the job- and she had put in so many hours, and been so tired that when she was allowed to go home, she had turned off her phone and crashed into bed.

When Becca fell asleep around 6 a.m., after Danny had kissed the hand entwined with his, then her soft lips, watching her try to get comfortable before drifting off, and Steve slept on, his face for once relaxed and very vulnerable, he had stayed awake, in thought, and Angel had snuck over to the one place on the bed –between his arm and his body – where there wasn't a wire or something she had to avoid, and had settled down to rest, slit-eyed in happiness, until she too fell asleep.

The worst thing that had happened to him in the last eight days had been because of simple human error. No one had tried to kill him, or isolate him, molest or emotionally blackmail him into anything. And yet he knew how close he had come to having his ticket punched that one last time.

It hadn't been his job trying to kill him, or Steve's driving (which technically was part of his job), or a murder attempt. It had been human error.

Human error could happen any time of any day. For some reason, it made Danny come to grips fast with his situation. Instead of worsening his PTSD, it had eased it greatly. All the things Stan and Rachel had done almost seemed small to him. They weren't, but emotionally he reacted differently now. The thing that had saved him was having his friends nearby, reacting to their gut feeling that something was wrong, calling in the nurse so she could be there when he started to crash.

Angel peeked her blue eyes open and gave him a chiding, squeaky half-meow, and stretched before flopping back down to rest. Danny had to smile. His own voice was still very scratchy, but he thanked Angel again for having the special senses she did which had alerted Kono to alert the nurse. Angel purred until she fell asleep again.

Before he had been fully released from the ICU, Lou had stopped by, shyly, carrying a card and yellow pineapple mylar balloon and little insulated bowl of, of all things, homemade chicken soup. Lou's wife, Renee, had sent him over with it. Danny had grinned, and that reaction had stilled Steve's step forward, because Lou and Danny were definitely going through a rough patch, were not even friends anymore. For a while, Five-0 had even wondered if Lou had torched Danny's house, and possibly more than that.

Danny had stuck out his left hand to Lou, who had looked at it and switched everything to his right hand so he could shake it. "Hi! Voice. Wonky," Danny had explained, while Steve filled Lou in on the barest essentials of what was pertinent to know. Steve had shaken Lou's hand too, and introduced Angel, who was showing no anxiety at the big man's presence.

"It's good to see you both," said the unusually hesitant former colleague and friend. "Uh, if you hate the balloon, I can ditch it, but I had a funny feeling when I saw it and all the others were reindeer or either too mushy or too bland. This one kinda had your name on it. If you like it, that is."

Danny did. "I do! Thanks!" The ribbon string was bright red, and Angel was showing intense interest in it. "Meet my cat, Angel. She wants that ribbon so bad." Danny's voice did a falsetto squeak and crack, and he fumbled for his cup of water, which Steve instantly put before him, and held the straw so Danny could drink. Danny said thanks to Steve with his eyes.

Steve took over the conversation, inviting Lou to let Angel play with the ribbon.

"Her thingy, uh, halter?, says she's a therapy animal for Danny? It's none of my business, I don't mean to butt in …."

"It's okay," said Danny, and the end of the word shot up into the range that would make dogs bark, provided they were within the very small range necessary to hear it. Steve took over again, and Lou put the soup down on the tray that had the water on it too. Danny looked at it, already enjoying the aroma wafting from it, and had rubbed his wedding ring finger then pointed to Lou.

"Oh! Yeah. Renee sent that over with her lo … uh, best thoughts and prayers. You know. It's good! If you aren't hungry, uh, you know you don't have to eat it."

Danny gave Lou one of those 'are you kidding me' looks, and dove into the soup, made blissful noises that didn't somehow require his vocal chords, or maybe they only reacted to things that were spelled. It didn't matter, Danny enjoyed the soup, and listening to Steve and Lou entertain Angel.

It was Steve who decided to pin Lou's visit down to a reason. "What brings you by?"

Lou bit his lower lip, and asked if he could sit down in the other chair, by Steve, and Danny nodded.

That was how they found out about the news broadcast, featuring a Five-0 police detective having a string of crises. "It was well done, and talked about you and the plane and the liver donation, being kidnapped and the attempted murder, the starvation, the whole house thing, and that you needed some Aloha in your life. It suggested people thank you for helping the people of Hawaii by helping you get back on your feet and know your service to us isn't unnoticed. And, well, Renee made you soup, which meant she wanted me to get my sorry ass over here to see how you were doing, so I went balloon shopping, and figured I could leave these with the nurses at the station since I didn't think you'd want to see me, but the, um, this … _endowed_ … nurse said I should go right in, so, you know, I can leave if you want. I you know kinda wanted to apologize for the, that is, when I messed up so bad, and I'll tell Renee you liked the soup."

Danny entirely ignored that last part. "Oh, you met Wow!" Steve filled in that her name was Janice, and she was really quite nice!

Danny and Steve were apparently tag-teaming. "And I loved the soup, thank you and Renee. So how are you doing? Business picking up?"

They talked for a while, and Danny mentioned his engagement, while Angel was having a serious tug of war with the end of the red ribbon.

"You and Melissa?" asked Lou, watching Steve watch Danny with a look of surprise and he wasn't sure what on his face.

"No, Melissa left after the plane and liver thing, but I met this amazing nurse practitioner here, her name is Becca, and she's my doctor's daughter! One of two! She works here too, helped Grace when she hurt her arm, and while I was stuck in that box, I could not stop thinking of her." His voice was making all kinds of hash out of talking, but he was determined to say what he might not get another chance to say, and he had seen the surprised looks Steve was giving him. "You know, Lou, life is too short. Life is too short. Mistakes happen, bleep happens, and then an old friend stops by with a pineapple balloon and chicken soup, and I sure as heck hope you and Renee come to the wedding, no date set yet. Please come."

Lou was startled, and he looked down and a tear fell on his hands. "I didn't think you would ever call me friend again."

"Yesterday I almost died, so I get a fresh start. Grudges are over-rated. You made a mistake, have apologized, I've accepted it, and let's move back into what matters, and, Lou, the only thing that really matters is the good will we do, the love we show, and in my crazy book, possibly brought on by brain trauma or whatever, is that a pineapple balloon and amazing chicken soup are good will and love, and we can rebuild on that. Steve, my voice is about to go."

Steve held the straw again, while Danny drank and thought it was time to let the other two men work out their differences, here or wherever they chose.

Lou thanked him sincerely, nodded, and was deeply touched, humble. He promised again that he and Renee would come to the wedding. He turned to Steve. "If, um, if you would allow it, I'd like to apologize to Kono and Chin, and to you, but when it's a good time, I don't want to force it. I didn't expect … Danny to, you know. I know this will take time."

Steve finally fully smiled, which made the observing Danny very happy. "Lou, Danny clearly has brain damage, but the right kind. So the thing is, he's not the only one getting married!"

And the conversation was off and running. Lou was still there when Danny was released to return to his own room, so Lou helped with that, and Chin and Kono stopped in and it turned into a big reunion. There was hesitation, awkwardness, some odd pauses here and there, but it was the beginning of what Danny hoped would be a mending in the assorted relationships and friendships that made up the Five-0 task force individuals.

Dr. Cornett and Becca came by, so Lou got to meet Danny's fiancée and shook hands with his doctor, who could tell a corral's worth of fences had been mended in the few hours he had been checking on other patients. Lou was a charming and humble gentleman towards Becca, and she gave him a hug when he congratulated her on snagging one of the best single men on the island. Then, after a brief chat, he took Dr. Cornett aside and apologized to him, too, for all previous bad behavior. It ended with Dr. Cornett patting Lou on the back and shaking his hand again.

Lou was about to leave when he remembered something else to bring up to Danny. "Um. Well, I know your things got, you know, the fire destroyed stuff. See, Renee had an idea. She been bugging me for a year to make a new dining room set, since the one we have doesn't match the new paint job in the kitchen, so, the thing is, she wants you to have the old one? I mean, you one time said you really liked it, and it needs a loving home."

Danny was stunned, and his voice decided to play How Many Octaves Can We Visit as he answered the question that didn't have a question mark. "You want to give me your dining set? The nice one with the carving on the legs and chair backs, that you made?"

Lou shrugged shyly. "It needs a home, and you need a dining set."

"How much are you asking for it? It's worth a lot!"

Lou flinched and shook his head. "It's a gift. I know, I know we have had problems, but, see, it's not a bribe. That's what I mean to say. It's a gift. If you don't want it, it goes to St. Vincent de Paul. So, me and Renee want you to have it."

Danny took Becca's hand in his, and swallowed around the lump in his throat. "That's very kind of you, Lou, and Renee too. Um," he glanced up at Becca's gentle eyes and soft smile. "I don't have anywhere to put it yet, and Becca should see it, would that be okay? Because I don't even know if she already has one."

Lou smiled. "Sure, Danny. If Becca likes it, it's yours, and not your wedding gift, either. I gotta think of something for that."

"Thank you, Lou," said Becca. She accepted the piece of paper Lou scribbled his address and phone number on. Shortly after, he took his leave after saying sincere thank yous to all.

Steve rested his hand on Danny's shoulder. "Who are you, and what have you done with my curmudgeonly partner?" he asked, grinning.

Danny sheepishly grinned back, and whispered, in an attempt to stave off the unpredictable shifting octaves of his sore vocal chords. "I want to start fresh, Steve."

"Does this mean no more carguments and hissy fits?"

Danny harrumphed. "Oh hell no!"

Just then, a volunteer candy striper in her pink and white striped apron came up and knocked on the door jamb. She was carrying two large, heavy mailbags. "Um, Detective Danny Williams?"

"Yes?"

"The mailroom sent these cards and letters up, Where would you like me to leave them?"


	52. Chapter 52 Secrets

**Chapter 52** "Secrets"

 **A/N:** (19 April 2017) I meant to wish you all a Happy Easter, so instead I will wish you a Happy Week After Easter! Or Spring. However you feel about it. I'm Easter and Spring! And I thank you so heartily for your reviews and kindness. You inspire me! 😃

I'm so glad you got the connection between Easter and the theme of forgiveness. It's something I feel very strongly about. In our lives we will each need to be forgiven, and need to forgive, and I'm not just talking about the small stuff. This chapter timed itself well to a time of year that features forgiveness as it's central theme. I will say now that in my first story, Actions Speak Louder Than Words, when the break came with Lou, this chapter in some incarnation, was always planned. I knew there would be forgiveness, eventually. Sometimes it takes awhile.

Now, Rachel is another beast. I haven't written that yet, but I pretty much know how it will go. Forgiveness does not always include reconciliation. Sometimes it can't.

The next chapter should come within the week. I hope you enjoy this one!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0. (I hope I don't go nuts waiting for episode 7.23 to get here, the one about Danny's past, just before he meets Steve!)

 **Chapter 52** "Secrets"

(Tuesday, 27 December 2016, 3:45 p.m.)

Danny stared blankly at the candy striper volunteer, a high school girl probably about Grace's age. She had just asked him where he wanted to put two large bags of mail from the mailroom. "Uh. Are you sure that's for me?" He already had two and a half stacks sitting on his bedside table.

The candy striper, short and cute, her soft curly hair halo-ing her sweet face, read the name on the bags again. "Detective Danny Williams, Five-0 Task Force, and then Tripler's address and this room number?"

Danny mangled, "Huh. Okay. Uh…."

Steve reached for one of the bags, and Dr. Cornett took the other. Becca's eyes were beaming. "Thank you, Genie," she said to the candy striper. Genie was looking at Danny, and at Angel sitting on Danny's chest, now that he didn't have wires everywhere. The ladies (and most of the men) had noticed that Danny's hospital regulation shirt nevertheless was contouring his variety of noticeable muscle groups very well. The candy striper smiled and mused breathily, "That is one. Lucky. Kitten." Then she blushed shyly and left, while Becca's burst into a smile so bright and conspiratorial with Danny (who didn't understand why Becca was beaming) that everyone had to smile (because they did.) It looked like a candy striper might be experiencing her first crush, or at the very least had a refined sense of contour-appreciation!

Steve handed the first bag to Danny, who had to let Angel investigate it before he could open it. His thumb got in the way, as did Steve's, so Becca opened the bag. "Oh, wait, the ones on your table there," she pointed out.

"Why are so many people writing to me?" multi-octaved Danny?

"Open them and see!" answered Steve, already ripping open the top one on the table.

"Noooooo," whined Danny. "We gotta improvise a letter opener. Civilized, Steven. I do not want something from my Cousin Nancy ruined."

"But it's from Sang Min, Daniel," retorted Steve.

"Oh. Rip away."

Which Steve did while Becca produced a ceramic nailfile from her colorful scrubs pocket, and started opening envelopes, some of which were quite thick. Dr. Cornett began methodically opening envelopes from the second bag, using a urethral probe that made the men wince, but which he had scavenged from a drawer in Danny's room.

Steve snorted with mirth when he read Sang Min's silly card out loud, after showing it off to everyone in the room. It had Charlie Brown's sad little Christmas tree on the front, and the full, decorated "loved" one on the inside. The message was, "You got wers luk den me, but bigger ohana. Get well. Hope da ten helps. Not a brib!" Steve laughed. "He means bribe." And a ten-dollar bill, looking like it came from one of the original batches and may have been run over four times by a triple-semi, fell out with the card. Danny looked at it as if it came from Mars, while Angel approached it with approximately the same attitude, only deciding it was harmless after she had smacked it three times with one paw, claws extended, and it stayed limp and apparently dead. Danny was flummoxed. "Huh. Wow."

Which made everyone turn toward the door, the males hopefully, the females watching the males patiently, until it became clear Danny's flat vocal reaction had been about the $10 bill from Sang Min and the men all tried to act like they hadn't been expecting the "endowed" nurse.

Chin quickly grabbed an envelope from Harry Brown, a philosophical, thrice-divorced Private Investigator they had worked with. The cover of the card said Mele Kalikimaka, and inside it said, "Merry Christmas." "Muscles: Sh*t happens, but the sun still rises. Be happy for what ya got, next year could be worse. Thanks for helping me out, and this whole place. P.S: I heard your hairdo got axed, so it's just Muscles until it grows back out." And a credit-card sized gift card fell out, for Rumfire, worth $100. The note on it said, "For when you can use this."

And it went on from there, with various letters and notes from total strangers piling up, the gift cards from useful (and a few not really useful, but well-intentioned) places really stunning Danny into his mouth shaping like a semi-permanent little horizontal ellipse, his eyes like startled blue Os, trying to take it all in. Two realtors were offering to find Danny a free apartment for him and his kids, two other realtors had already sent descriptions, photos and floor plans for multiple houses he could have rent free for six months. Businesses had sent gift cards in astonishing amounts, from the grocery store Danny frequented sending him $5000 in free groceries, his clothier which supplied his shirts and other clothes matching the amount, additionally informing him that five shirts and pants combinations were arriving by special delivery the next day, with a pair of dress shoes, a pair of casual shoes, and a pair of his favorite flip flops, along with underclothing, a dozen pairs of socks [and they knew about his penchant for crazy patterns] and pajamas. Danny's jaw hit his collar bone, making his mouth into a vertical ellipse. A better-end furniture store he had never shopped at sent a gilded card thanking him for his service to the community, and included a gift card for $10,000 in furniture and appliances. Two different high end hotels on Waikiki were offering him very nice suites for him and his kids, free, for three and four months respectively. People wrote long letters of sympathy, others wrote short notes of sincere gratitude. Some offered playsets for Charlie, and one car dealership had set aside a newest-model, fully loaded Prius for him, all he needed to do was come in and pick up the keys. The picture in the card showed that it was in the latest medium-dark-metallic navy color.

That was just in the first bag.

By the time they tallied the cash from kind people who wished him a speedy recovery, they had almost $1600 in bills and checks, plus gift cards from all over the place. Then Jerry ran in with his laptop open, and informed Danny that an Anonymous person had established a Go Fund Me page two days ago in his honor, with a donation target of $3000, which had already been surpassed. "Right now the number is $3587, but it's picking up steam! Yup, just hit $3650!"

Rarely was Danny speechless, but he was over this. He watched as another $50 was added to the site, and after that the donations just kept trickling in, most small, but one was $500.

Becca, Kono, and Abby were wiping away tears, Hannah was on the verge, and they still had a bag of cards to go. "I wonder if we will find our work mailbox stuffed like this," said Kono. She gave Danny a hug and kiss and zipped out of the room, obviously on her way to go check.

Which was why she missed the two candy stripers, Genie and her friend Teressa, returning with two carts of plush bears, bunnies (one very small, which Angel immediately adopted as her own 'kitten'), a penguin, a hippo, several indeterminate animals, two dragons, and 6 plush police officers from Build A Bear, and a K-9 plushie (which Angel flattened her ears at) and cute things, with 8 floral arrangements, and another bag of mail, only about half full.

Danny was stunned, and said so, after thanking the two candy stripers, who apparently both had crushes on Danny, from the longing looks they gave him and his chest before leaving. "There has to be a death threat in here somewhere, or this can't be real," added Danny, the only one oblivious.

Kono returned a few minutes later, and informed them that the Five-0 mailbox was indeed stuffed, and the Post Office was holding the excess in bags. There were also floral arrangements everywhere, "One HUGE one from the Governor!", and more plush animals.

Dr. Cornett held up a card with a picture of Darth Vader on it, overlayed with artwork making him into the original elder Obi-wan Kenobi. It played the Star Wars theme when opened, and the message was, "I am your Father. I COMMAND you to get well!" The doctor grinned. "Does this count as threatening?"

Steve held his good hand out and asked to see it, and the doc handed it over. "Who's it from?" he asked, looking at the address on the envelope.

Steve rolled his eyes and handed the card and envelope to Danny. He took a look, showed it to Becca, and then reached over and smacked his doctor's arm with card and envelope, which made Dr. Cornett laugh. "You? You're my doc!"

"Yeah, but I'm _going_ to be your father-in-law! That gives me rights, and power."

Danny sighed. "My doc has gone to the dark side. 'Obi-wan' my butt crack."

Which made everyone laugh, most of all Dr. Cornett, his daughters and Steve, the last of whom almost ended up on the floor, rolling.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny needed rest, which he got after his medications and dinner, which was a hospital hamburger, meaning small and basic with the lettuce, tomato, and pickle slices, and a little ketchup and mustard. The sides were mashed potatoes and gravy (which almost had flavor), peas and carrots for vegetables, and cherry Jello with what looked like fruit cocktail in it. The best part was that all the portions were full-sized, and Danny ate the whole thing, and drank two hot teas and a pineapple juice with it.

Danny had given Angel a few tiny bites of hamburger, which she now loved with something akin to addiction, and in desperation Danny had asked the nurse if the kitchen had any tuna they could give her, so she had been presented with a little plate of canned tuna. Normally Angel was a nibbler (exceptions: hamburger and tuna), but she had smelled the tuna and put her eating speed on 'vacuum', and was now in such sleepy, full-tummy bliss that Danny suspected he could stop breathing and she would just sigh contentedly and keep smiling, curled up on his collar bones, emitting her occasional tuna-scented burps.

Again, he and his kitten were not alone. The only visitor who remained was Steve. He too had been served a dinner tray, but his also came with a dinner roll, and a second burger. He hogged the roll with Danny's blessing, but very kindly split the extra burger with Danny, and had coffee instead of tea. "This sure beats MREs, any day," said Steve, showing his comfortable lack of table manners around his best friend.

"If Stan had filled that box with Meals Ready to Eat, I think I would have killed him when I got out." Danny's voice was into serious laryngitis. He could little more than whisper, and even then the pitch could be anything, as long as it was high. Steve said he sounded like a wheezing, pre-pubescent mouse on helium.

Steve chuckled. "Some are actually not bad. It depends. If it's the kind you add water to and wait for it to reconstitute, eh, luck of the draw. But if it's those tubes of nutrient paste, yeah. But even that stuff is better than a dab of additive-filled peanut butter. Which reminds me! I got a call from the team analyzing your plan of getting out of the box." Steve hesitated, because he didn't want to trigger Danny's PTSD, which was so much improved over how it had first seemed.

But Danny just cupped Angel's back and asked, "Yeah?" with no distress added to his lack of voice.

So Steve told him, "They said they think your plan would have worked, within the time you had before the peanut butter and cat food ran out." He emphasized, "You would have made it out had we not found you. It would have been close, but you would have survived. The only reason you ran into trouble was the injuries. But even then, considering we were onto Stan and Rachel, we would have found you."

Danny leaned his head back against his pillows, and gazed out the window at the stars emerging after sunset. It meant a lot to Danny to know that he would have been able to get out of the box. The main fear he had had was that he was never sure his plan would have worked, and if it hadn't, Angel's life would have been at risk. If he had succumbed, how would Angel have hung on until she was found? She would have run out of water, and Danny could not think about that without feeling cold and shivery. He was glad to know he would have survived, but in a strange way even more glad that Angel would have been saved, too.

"Thank you for telling me that." He reached out and squeezed Steve's hand. Steve squeezed back.

"You're doing so much better. You had me –all of us—worried for a bit there. You're so much improved now. I'm glad."

Danny's eyes teared up as he nodded, and Steve stuffed a Kleenex into his hand while Angel hugged his face and began her comforting purr, her breath smelling vaguely still of tuna. "I do feel a lot better. I know there are some tough things ahead, and the thing with Rachel, but I still feel a lot better. I know I can handle this, because I have amazingly supportive friends."

Steve hesitated, but decided to test the waters again. "Danny, I went to see Rachel yesterday morning."

Danny was not surprised. There had been something in the back of Steve's eyes, a secret he had not shared, which would have worried Danny more had not the rest of things been so positive. "It went badly, didn't it?" If it had gone well, Steve would already have told him.

"Pretty much FUBAR, Danny. I recorded our conversation."

"Ah. I think I feel up to hearing it. But you know PTSD better than I do. Do you think I'm up to hearing it, Steve?"

Danny watched Steve closely. He had brought out a little tape recorder, the kind not much bigger than some of the bigger cell phones. Steve was fiddling with it. "I just don't want to set you back."

Danny considered that for several seconds that felt a lot longer. He finally said, "I'm not sure anything can set me back to where I was, because I'm just not there anymore. I'm alive. I get a fresh start. I'm healing. Strangers are writing to me and giving me help to get back on my feet. I've got my kids. I've got Becca. I've got you, brother, and lots of caring friends. Rachel is of the past. I'm starting a new chapter now. Rachel," Danny repeated, "is part of the past."

Steve nodded, and held Danny's hand. "If this gets to be too much, squeeze my hand. Let me know. Okay?"

"Deal."

So Steve played the tape, and watched the monitors that were still getting readings of Danny's pulse, blood pressure, breathing, and the oxygen saturation in his blood. The tape did affect Danny's numbers, but nothing got alarming. At the end of the tape, Danny was breathing more quickly, and his blood pressure was elevated somewhat. Danny had squeezed his hand, but more from tension and surprise than overload.

Danny slowly relaxed by force of will against the pillows. The head of the bed had been elevated for comfort hours ago, so it was easy for Danny to look at Steve. At no time did he consider shutting him out. "The one thing I never threw at her was suspicion of infidelity," Danny finally said. "I did suspect, but I wasn't sure. So this does and doesn't surprise me. I'm glad the baby may not have been mine. But it was still an innocent baby, so whose it was doesn't make any difference to my feelings there. As for being blackmailed, she's wrong when she thinks I'll cave, Steve. Because I know something she doesn't know I know. She can't go this far in a pregnancy without needing a cesarean to deliver, and that includes aborting. Her womb is damaged. That's why Charlie was a C-section. I'm guessing the second abortion may be why her womb is … whatever it is. I never knew then, and didn't ask."

"Why did they tell you all that?" asked Steve.

Danny hunched his shoulders briefly. "One of the nurses told me when Charlie was born, before she realized I wasn't the father. So Rachel is not going to abort this late because she knows it means full-on surgery."

"But what about the rest of it, Danny? I mean, tossing Grace's paternity in there…?"

Danny's numbers shot up again on the monitors. "Well, it was a good thing you thought that out and were prepared. Because Grace is mine. I've known it all along, and even a negative paternity test would not change that she is my daughter. I remember seeing that paper, showing Grace and Charlie are full blood siblings. I only saw that as proof I was Charlie's dad, but it does mean I'm Grace's too, and Rachel hit low with that."

"Yeah, she did." Steve was still holding Danny's hand, and he gave it a squeeze before letting go and filling their cups with ice water. "So, do you know what you will say to her?"

Danny shook his head as he took a sip and let an ice chip melt on his tongue. "No, not exactly. But I know she won't like it." His blue eyes were chilly, but not lost when he explained, slowly. "She is someone I used to know, or thought I knew, and who I can forgive, Steve, but who I can't be around anymore. I will go see her, once, when I am allowed. And then, I hope I never lay eyes on her again."

"What if she forces a trial?"

Danny shook his head, confidently. "She won't. Because she knows she has a lot more to lose than I do. As much as she is willing to hurt me, she won't slit her own throat."

"But she says she has more secrets."

Danny turned his gaze toward the winking stars beyond his window. "So do I, Steve. So do I."


	53. Chapter 53 Preparing For Battle

**Chapter 53** "Preparing For Battle"

 **A/N:** (27 April 2017) Your reviews are wonderful and so kind! Thank you! I love hearing your thoughts and comments!

I had a slowish week writing this chapter because I took a few days to celebrate my birthday and this chapter had to set up a lot of things so it took a bit of mulling. And I dreamed another story, which is probably going to be the next one.

Irene Claire, I am sorry I unwittingly annoyed you with every chapter I've ever written by writing a long A/N. I didn't know! Sorry.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 53** "Preparing For Battle"

(Tuesday, 27 December 2016, 7 p.m.)

Danny waited for Steve to ask him what his secrets were. He knew he would. But Steve didn't ask. He was looking at his cast, sadly. Danny intuited as easily as most people breathed that he felt bad that Danny had kept something from him.

"Steve."

His partner cleared his throat and looked up at him, the sadness not quite gone from his eyes. "Yeah?" He suddenly looked worried. "Do you need something? Should I call the nurse?"

"No, I'm fine. But I need your opinion."

"Oh! Sure!" Somewhere, a puppy was tentatively wagging its tail.

Danny sipped his ice water, which gave him a brief time to think. He knew Steve had grown up being excluded from so much, virtually walled in by secrets that persisted into the present. His dad had loved him dearly, but still had not told him important truths. His mother had outright lied to him so many times, he must wonder if anything she had ever told him was the truth. His most serious girlfriend –who Danny had really liked to see him with, and if not for Hannah, he would like to see him with—had told him lies and kept secrets, because that was what her work as an agent required. Even Steve's penchant for control and stubbornness and his own secretiveness was an offshoot of what he had grown up surrounded by. When he sensed a secret, he got sad, then mad, and expressed the anger by usually digging for answers with an industrial sized backhoe, when a simple garden shovel or non-backhoe question would do just fine.

It was a running thing between the two partners that Danny occasionally kept a secret from Steve. From everyone. Everyone had secrets, and Steve knew that. But he could not help reacting badly when he discovered that one existed, especially if it was one Danny was holding onto, even if only temporarily. (He made a mental note to tell this to Hannah, since it might surprise her if she ran into this Steve-idiosyncrasy.)

So Danny kept the walls down this time, and did not make Steve resort to the backhoe. Or even the shovel. "It's about this whole Rachel thing. My secrets. I don't know if they will have the desired effect on her. I think I've got some stuff she will react to, and back her off her vendetta. But after hearing that tape, I don't know. I trust your instincts, though."

Steve was listening intently. "Okay. Um, thanks." He was trying to act all casual and nonchalant, but Danny knew better. He also knew how to pretend not to notice.

"It wasn't long after we paired up, you and me. The partner-kidnapping thing, when we weren't friends yet. So I wouldn't have told you then, and afterwards, when we had become friends, it was past, and I didn't think about this. A lot of Rachel stuff is still in the vault, which is why I don't talk about it until I have to think about it, and then it gets brought up, like now."

Steve nodded, and Danny felt like he simply could not possibly have had more of Steve's attention. He no longer looked sad. In fact, he looked like a brother, listening to problems he had been asked to help with.

Danny continued. "Grace was only nine. Rachel and I were on very bad terms. Usually when I went to pick Grace up when it was my weekend, I had to wait in the car, because my presence in the house upset Rachel, even when it was just for five minutes. But they had a new housekeeper or maid or … whatever this lady was who let me in. So I waited in the foyer, out of sight, when they had that huge house at first. I kept out of sight so the housekeeper wouldn't get in trouble for letting me in. But I could see into the living room, where Grace had left her backpack she brings over when she stays with me. So I see the backpack, and then I see Rachel sneak –and I do mean 'sneak'; she was _furtive_ , Steve—over to the backpack and zip open the pocket where Grace kept her money purse. And she pulls out $20 and replaces it with a fiver. Then she slips away, so I went in there and put back the twenty and took out the five."

Steve's face turned stormy, and his eyes were thunderclouds. "Rachel stole money from her own daughter? She had all the money she could want, but she stole from Grace?"

"Yes! I was the one who had given her that twenty dollars, because we had to go shopping later since Grace prefers not to shop with her mother. If Grace needs clothes or anything, really, it turns into a shopping trip for Rachel, with a little Grace thrown in, and Rachel watching the time. So Grace shops with me, and I pay attention to her, make it something she will remember with a smile. Anyway, this was not the only time I saw Rachel steal money from that backpack."

"And she never knew that you knew."

"Nope. But I didn't see all the times. A few times when I had Grace, we would be at some store, or getting a shave ice or something, and Grace made a big thing out of wanting to treat me. 'Danno,' she would say in her happiest voice, 'I get to pay!' So she would reach into her backpack and pull out her purse, and open it, and look stunned. And I knew what was wrong. Money was missing. She took to checking that purse before she made the offer, and was quiet even when all the money was there. So I think it's high time I threw that at Rachel. Good idea? Bad idea?"

"Good idea," said Steve, forcefully. "What would really be good was if you knew what she used the money for."

"Okay, here's where I need your advice again. I think I know what she used it for."

"Oh? What?"

"Weed."

"Weed! Did she use pot around the kids?"

Danny scowled. "I know she did once. Grace's hair smelled a little funny to me when she was dropped off, by Rachel. She also had an upset tummy and said Mommy's breath and the car smelled 'weird'. I think Rachel smoked at least one joint before picking Grace up at school. I had Grace get a bath and shampoo, then a nap until she felt better, and I washed her clothes in the sink,"

"How old was Grace?" asked Steve, fuming.

"Nine. I did confront Rachel about the smell of Grace's hair, didn't accuse her, but brought it up, and said it better not happen again. Rachel said she'd driven a friend home and she had smoked, made light of it, but I was firm. It never happened again, and the money stopped vanishing from Grace's purse."

Steve harrumphed forcefully. "What mother does that?"

"Pick an adjective that isn't polite," retorted Danny, and Steve nodded. It was good to have Steve's input on what he should do, but it was even better to see Steve feel included.

"Do you have any other secrets about Rachel?" asked Steve, fully invested now.

This time Danny grimaced, because it was still a sore spot. "You know how kids talk on their phones all the time, and they don't even realize someone just walked by? Well, Grace is at that age where she sometimes forgets I'm there. So, she's on her phone with one of her friends, and she says, 'Mom said I'm getting fat, and have to diet. She gave me laxatives, but I threw them away.' At least she had the sense to throw them away. I snuck back out, and had a fit Grace didn't have to witness, and am still convincing my beautiful daughter that she is so beautiful, she shouldn't change a thing. Her self-esteem took a hit, which she hopefully will get past."

"Danny," said Steve, equally upset. "Grace told me they were holding back her snacks while you were in the box. She told me she was starving. I know she was picking up on your condition, because I was too. But-"

"What?" Danny wheezed. "She was starving while I was in the box? What do you mean, picking up on my condition, and you were too?"

Steve came clean. "It's hard to explain, but we both felt that you were starving. Grace knew about Angel. I knew about your knee and thumb injury. I really can't explain it. But, without that, it would have taken longer to crack the case, because Grace said she was sneaking downstairs to get a snack when she saw Stan and Rachel looking at the pictures on Stan's phone, of you, drugged unconscious, with the shaved head, and Grace called me right away. We made sure she and Charlie were safe before we took Stan and Rachel into custody that night. That is what set into motion us finding you so fast. And we can definitely use Grace's hunger against Rachel."

Danny felt his eyes tearing up. Angel woke and tried to comfort him. Steve was apologetic and worried. But Danny used a Kleenex to mop his eyes and his voice was very rough and weak when he apologized to Steve, and promised himself he would apologize to Grace as well. "I knew me being gone so mysteriously would be hard on you, but I had no idea how hard. I'm sorry, Steve."

"You have nothing to apologize for. This is all on Rachel and Stan, and Stan is dead, and Rachel is looking at a long prison term no matter how she plays her cards."

Danny reached over and squeezed Steve's hand for a brief moment before turning to look at the stars outside his window. "I just hope she does the right thing."

Steve looked at the stars too. "I hope so too." He looked over at the other stack of cards, and snagged it. "Hey, we can go through some more of these. Or you can rest while I just slit them open for you, and you can read them later."

Danny ended up helping to slit for a while, but fell asleep holding a bright blue envelope and a urethral sound, which Steve took a photo of for posterity.

H50 H50 H50 H50

(Wednesday, 28 December 2016, 10 a.m.)

On Wednesday, Dr. Cornett put Danny on vocal rest to help heal his still damaged throat. It was the only way to keep Danny quiet when he had a lot of visitors stopping by. He was able to go on walks, which he did, and spent some time on the lanai whenever he passed it. It was nice, because he got to spend some alone time with each of his Five-0 ohana, Becca, and even Hannah, their first talk alone, and he had brought a writing pad and pencil, so he did indeed pass on the warning about Steve, secrets, sad puppies, and industrial sized backhoes. Most of their talk had been about Steve, and Danny had a twinkle in his eyes as he answered some of Hannah's more personal questions.

Danny and Becca walked arm in arm, and so Danny's spirits were soaring. They chatted via notes, and he eventually resorted to texting his answers while her lovely voice filled his brain with happy thoughts. The more he learned about her, the more time they spent together, the more he realized she was indeed his soulmate. The more soulmate she became, the more physically attracted to her he became until it was hard not to show it in ways her father would not have approved of. And she kept touching his hand, or shoulder, and once she brushed his rear unintentionally, and the reaction was immediate. They were out on the balcony, preparing to go back inside, and Becca had tweaked his gown to make sure it was closed in back, even though he was wearing hospital pants under it.

They both sucked in deep breaths after being jolted by electricity that had nothing at all to do with static electricity, which did not exist in Hawaii. They found a shady spot to really kiss, deeply and passionately. After that, they held each other, molding together, which meant that Becca knew that Danny wanted her.

"Danny," Becca whispered, stepping back just enough. She sounded worried, uncertain. "Danny, I'm a virgin. I want to please you, but I know you've had others, and I'm, I've, I never have, and please, I want you but I can't have you until … our wedding night. I'm so sorry to disappoint you."

Danny kissed her as passionately as before, with the difference that he kept his extended part from touching her. "How in creation could you disappoint me? You have principles, and I respect them, and want to survive your father, which means we 'no touchee de goods', if you know what I mean. You will be a virgin on our wedding night, and even after that I can wait as long as it takes until you are ready to not be a virgin anymore. This isn't about sex. This is about soulmate love. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my life."

"I only want to wait until we can be alone together after the wedding ceremony. I crave you, Danny. I love you," whispered Becca, who then kissed him with all the passion a man could ever hope to find in his soulmate. Becca broke off to say, "I wish you hadn't said 'long', I can't get close enough to you!" Their kiss dissolved into laughter, and Danny shifted. "Um, sorry?" before he held her against his nice and safe side and asked, lovingly, "How do you feel about having more kids?"

"If you are the father, let's have as many as God lets us."

Danny's blue eyes smiled and crinkled at the sides in delight. "Really?"

"Really! We already have Grace and Charlie, who I love like they were my own, and -"

They kissed like this was wedding night practice, and it could not strictly speaking be said that either of them refrained from touching the other's 'goods', even if it at least started out as accidental and things were covered in clothes. They stopped when a nurse came out onto the lanai, saw the oblivious pair, and shrieked, "No making babies on de lanai! Geez!" Becca climbed off Danny (both of them red-faced at being caught), straightened her nurse's uniform, gave Danny one more almost-asphyxiating kiss, and fled back to her work while Danny took some time for his heartrate and ability to not walk funny to return to normal.

H50 H50 H50

As soon as Danny got Steve alone, they began seriously texting, because this had to be kept unsaid. They were cleared to go see Rachel the next day, in the early afternoon, and so they made plans to sneak a little excursion to a jewelry store into the plans. It was time to buy engagement rings.

"Who driving us?" asked Steve via bad typing.

"Pua, also to see R first."

"K. New Yrs Eve will not end without a proposal to Hannah."

"Yup. Becca will get her ring first, then the floor is all yours. Make it good, you only do this once." He tapped Steve's arm, then typed hunt and peck, "Who is Stiff, why she call you that?"

"L8r." Steve grinned, though, and asked Danny if he was up for his kids visiting that evening. This worked as a distraction, and Dr. Cornett's entrance had perfect timing. Danny scribbled as fast as he could with his offhand, and held the paper up hopefully to his doc. "Kids? Talk?" read Cornett out loud, and smiled brightly. He replied that he could use his voice "sparingly." They would watch a movie on the TV, so talking would be kept to a minimum. "You don't know how Charlie watches movies," scrawled Danny, adding "Popcorn?" Unfortunately, he was not allowed to have popcorn because it was too scratchy for his throat. "But I know Grace is baking something you can have."

"?"

"I'm so sorry, Danny, I can't read your writing."

"&^%$#$ &^!"

"And he proves my point! Time for med tests! Steve, scram for a moment. Danny, be good and do everything I say."

"Growl."

Which Dr. Cornett laughed merrily at.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Becca and Hannah brought the kids to see Danny after dinner, and then Becca returned after some small talk and sparkling eye flirting to work, while Hannah pried Steve away from Danny's side in case the kids wanted to spend time alone with their father. As much as they loved their Uncle Steve, they still liked special time with Danno. Besides, Charlie was practicing using his newly adopted "Daddy" on his Daddy, and he took every chance he got to use the word.

Angel was getting used to the word "Daddy", and the kids (human versions of kittens?), especially Charlie. He tended to be a little grabby and squeezed a bit hard, but was already learning. Grace already was an expert on Angel-holding and petting, so the kitten spent some time in her lap, purring in bliss when Grace petted her just right under her chin. She did avoid Charlie, which was unnoticed because either Danny or Grace would pass her around him. Angel's favorite spot was still Danny's collarbone, but this time she climbed onto his far shoulder from wherever Charlie was, and had fun eating the two pieces of popcorn Danny gave her, and even considered shortbread cookie bits a very acceptable treat.

They brought popcorn, which Danny could not have, but Grace had baked shortbread cookies, of which Danny could now have three according to his doctor, which means he snuck another one. He praised Grace highly, and noticed she snuck a couple while Charlie completely pigged out on the popcorn. The movie was Toy Story, mostly to please Charlie. Grace didn't say much. She looked distracted, so Danny made up his mind to ask her about that later. Charlie usually fell fast asleep about halfway through a movie, and that would be a good time.

Sure enough, Danny had his chance to talk to Grace. As soon as Charlie fell asleep, Danny turned the volume down while Grace bundled her brother in a throw blanket and moved him over to a nest she had made of chairs and spare pillows. Then she came over and sat on the edge of Danny's bed.

"Danno?"

"Yes, Sweetheart? I've noticed how quiet you have been." His voice was no longer making dogs bark. It was still rough, but on the furry side, now heading into the lower range. "You want to talk?"

Grace nodded, but didn't start talking right away. She had a lot on her mind, and some of it was too old for her years, even though he would turn fifteen in just under three months. She finally said, "You almost died, didn't you?"

Danny was honest with his children, in age-appropriate ways. He did not like to lie to them, unless it really was in their best interests. But since Grace had brought up something that was clearly bothering her, he felt he should be truthful. "Yes, I did, Monkey. There was a mix-up in my medications, and I got the wrong one. But you know Dr. Cornett is a very good doctor, and he figured out what happened and fixed it."

"But we did almost …. Danno, Step-Stan died, and Mom is in jail because she helped … _him_ … try to kill you, and then you had a medicine mix up. If Dr. Cornett had not figured it out, what would have happened to Charlie and me?"

Danny was not expecting this, but again he felt he needed to be honest. "I have a Will, and I have provided for you and Charlie. If something does happen to me, and your Mom and Step-Stan can't care for you for whatever reason, Uncle Steve steps in and loves you and takes care of you. Would that be okay?"

Grace nodded. "If it isn't you, Uncle Steve would be almost you. Except for how he drives." They both grinned, until Grace's faded and she hugged her Dad. "Just don't die, please. I need my Danno."

Danny decided Grace needed some good news. He asked her, "Do you like Becca?"

"My Nurse Practitioner? We're already best friends, and I know she really likes you. You two need to start dating!"

"You think so?" asked Danny, eyes starting to twinkle. "Well, you see, we've been talking and we thought we might do even more than date."

Grace hesitated. "Oh. Like, with Melissa?" She was fingering her own Promise ring.

Danny noticed and shook his head. "No, not like Melissa. You see, I'm sortof hoping you'd like Becca to be your step-mom, because she's crazy about you and Charlie, and we're crazy about each other."

"Okay, so Becca is going to start living with us?"

"Not yet. We have to get married first because she wouldn't be your step-mom unless we did that. I asked her and she said Yup!"

Grace finally understood the subtle meaning and her disappointment soared into pure joy. "Ohhhhh! Really? Oh wow, I'm so happy! OHmigosh, I love you!" She hugged her Danno, and Angel took strategic refuge on the top of the pillow behind the one Danny was resting against.

Grace decided to find Becca, who she called and asked to either come to Danny's room or stay put in her office. Becca had a report to finish dictating, so Grace went to her, and awhile later they returned to Danny's room, arms around each other's waists. "And I super respect you both," Grace was saying, and then hugged Becca.

Danny knew it was going to be the happiest he had ever been.

H50 H50 H50 H50

(Thursday, 29 December 2016, 10:30 a.m.)

The meeting with Rachel had to be moved up, because the media had gotten wind of the Go Fund Me page in Danny's honor, which was now over $25,000, and the bags of mail that kept pouring in to Tripler and the Five-0 offices on behalf of the recovering detective. Media outlets and camera crews were now trying to set up interviews or sneak in and get candids that way, and the hospital had been forced to tighten security to keep people not on Danny's list from making it to his floor. So Pua, their unexpected informant that they were going to be beset that afternoon, suggested they go when nobody expected them too.

Because Danny's clothier had come through with wardrobe choices, as promised, and Dr. Cornett had a baseball hat collection, Danny slipped out not looking like a patient. He was in khaki twills, a blue shirt, and a nondescript navy blue cap. He felt very self-conscious, slipping by the media which had indeed gathered outside Tripler's mountainside entrance, and met Steve in Pua's cruiser. Originally he had been supposed to use a wheelchair to reach the cruiser, but since that basically screamed "patient", he walked out the ER entrance and was picked up, and driven away, passing the collected media vans and reporters from a discreet distance.

Danny and Steve had both ducked down in the back seat, to not be seen. Pua gave the signal when they could pop back up and feel like normal passengers. "When we come back, I suggest the oceanside entrance, but we can scope out the scene first," said Officer Pua Kai. "There is a wheelchair waiting at the Women's Correctional Facility, for you, Danny, and I am under orders from your doctor to see that you use it until you reach Rachel's interrogation room. It's a long walk, and we still are on for the jeweler's after, right?"

"Right," said Steve.

Danny was silent, because he was now on his way to see Rachel, and the emotions he felt were not what he expected them to be. Steve noticed, and asked if he was feeling okay. At Danny's nod, Steve waited for words. With Danny, there were almost always words. But none were forthcoming.

"Danny?" Steve's voice was concerned, and it snapped Danny's silence.

"Voice. Resting. And I feel embarrassed about the hat and the reason for it."

"Oh."

"And I want to pick out the right ring."

"Ah. Yeah, me too."

"And I don't feel _anything_ about going to talk to Rachel. Nothing, Steve. Zip. Nada. Isn't that odd?"

Steve wasn't sure, and said so. "It could be a good thing. But she may get you mad, so careful in there."

Danny obeyed Dr. Cornett's orders to use the wheelchair to go from the entrance of the facility to the interrogation room. He kept waiting to feel something, but nothing came except a kind of emotional weariness. He wanted to get this over with.

When he and Steve reached the room, Rachel was already inside, waiting for Danny. Danny got out of the wheelchair, and turned to Steve. "Do I look okay? The hat isn't stupid?"

"Not stupid. It hides your really short hair."

"Will Angel be okay with Kono for a few hours?"

"Of course."

"Why don't I feel anything?"

"You aren't in there yet. Just remember what I said. Be careful if she tries to make you mad."

Danny nodded. He turned and squared his shoulders, cleared his throat, and was let into the room.

Rachel was sitting there in her navy scrub shirt sticking out because of her pregnancy belly, and her handcuffs, and Danny's heart felt for the baby more than anything else. He sat down in the chair, but kept it back from the table.

"Hello, Danny," said Rachel.

"Hello, Rachel," said Danny.

And a silence descended.


	54. Chapter 54 The Duel

**Chapter 54** "The Duel"

 **A/N:** (29 April 2017) Oh my, I enjoyed the reviews you gave me! That chapter was a conglomerate of little episodes. There was no good place to split it, and it covered a lot of ground, so was a bit difficult to figure out what to comment on! You all were wonderful!

This one finally gets to what you want to read. Hopefully, it is satisfying.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 54** "The Duel"

(Thursday, 29 December 2016, 11 a.m.)

So many times in Danny's life, he had talked with Rachel. Not so many times in the past year or so, but it was definitely something he was very familiar with. Sometimes she looked at him as if she was actually seeing someone else, or wished she was, such as when they had problems in their marriage because Danny would not give up being a police detective to please her. It was his job, and his passion, and gave his life purpose, in an entirely different way than being a father to young Grace and husband to Rachel. He remembered that look well, and as important as it was for him to be a good husband and father, and as willing as he was to try to please his wife, she never gave him a reason to quit his job that made him feel anything like a good husband. He had known then, and he knew now, that she had made him feel like a failure in every department as a human being because he did not, in effect, say "How high?" when she said, "Jump."

He thought back on the moment he knew she was shopping, literally, for his replacement. She had divorce on her mind. She was in a particularly loving time towards him, which made the intuition that she was not just thinking of divorce, but planning her exit, all the more of a betrayal. She had gone shopping on a Saturday, and all the boxes she came home with contained clothes Danny could not afford. Not that she wore cheap clothes as it was, because Rachel was after all Rachel, but she stepped it up a notch and went for labels his budget could not take.

Normally, Danny didn't interfere with his wife's shopping. Normally, she didn't blow up his budget and almost max his credit cards. This time, this one particular time, when he had known, he had also felt compelled to talk to her about it, because he simply could not afford what she had bought.

It had turned into a huge, heated argument, with Rachel throwing boxes of shoes, blouses, and dresses, sexy lingerie and accessories at him, accusing him of wanting her to look like a sack of potatoes, complaining if she bought hair conditioner, before she had stormed out and not come back for two days and three nights. It had been left to Danny to re-box everything, and try to be patient and kind to the salesperson he returned them too, while holding Grace's hand as she stood by his side, peering up at all the pretty clothes in the children's section just beyond the return desk.

The sales clerk had looked at him as if he were scum, a type. He knew Rachel had said something about him, and it had not been complimentary. And something in him snapped. Rachel had lied in some way about him, and he was going to prove she lied.

He had asked the clerk, a pretty woman with long, dark hair worn in soft waves, if she had waited on his wife when she bought the clothes he was returning. She had all but snarled, "Yes." Just the one word. Danny, smiling all the way to his eyes, had asked which dress, shoes, and lingerie set she had liked the most. The clerk pointed out the most expensive ones, and Danny had all but purred, "Wrap these up in new boxes, please. Red boxes, with black velvet ribbons. Hold them here while I take my daughter shopping." The startled clerk had complied, finally treating him like someone who actually had a right to breathe air.

He had encouraged Grace to pick out her favorite dress. She had tried on several, all eager and wide-eyed, and when she had her rose-pink satin favorite, and shoes and a little purse to match, he had those wrapped too, and gave the sales lady a tip she smiled warmly at.

Rachel returned home 24 hours later, had looked surprised and "forgiving" when she saw the boxes on the bed Danny had refused to sleep on until she returned, and even then, all he really wanted was the couch. His wife had walked in with a fancy new hair style, manicure and pedicure, facial, and a box of new lilac scented soaps when she knew Danny did not care much for lilacs. All he saw was the damage she had done to his budget, which was her favorite kind of revenge. She had never worn the almost-too-tight black sheath dress for him. But she had worn it two weeks later, on the night out with "the girls", where she had met Stan Edwards.

Danny knew the memories should make him angry.

But he still felt nothing. Rachel was just someone he had known, or thought he had known. It no longer mattered. It made him feel peaceful to realize she didn't have the power anymore to hurt him.

But he knew she would try. He felt ready for the duel.

H50 H50 H50 H50

The moment came when Rachel finally blinked first. Danny watched her try to wind his emotions around her fingers. "How are you feeling, Danny? You look well. The hat is a bit surprising, but I understand. It will take your hair some time to grow back. You still look pale." Then came the 'let's talk about me' line. "I probably look pale, too."

Danny didn't bite. "The kids are both fine. I saw them last night."

It was a subtle reprimand that Rachel had not even asked about her daughter and son, but so delicately delivered that she was taken aback by the lack of any cruelty behind it.

"Oh … I'm happy they are well. I … did they have any messages for me?"

Danny realized something he had always known and yet never mentally verbalized until this moment: everything about them had always been about her. And now, the knowledge had no power to even make him furrow his brows. He cleared his throat before answering. "No. I don't think Charlie really understands things, but Grace may be a little angry with you."

It was so flatly said, Rachel had no emotional energy to work with. Danny watched as she tried to make this about her again. "I assume you are trying to ease her away from anger at her mother? It isn't healthy to be angry with your mother."

Danny just sat in his chair, and then got up and knocked on the door and, when the matron opened it, asked if she could bring him a cup of water. "For my throat." He explained briefly what had happened to him, not for Rachel's benefit, although he knew she could hear him. He simply needed the water. "Is Mrs. Edwards allowed to have a cup, too?" he asked out of mere politeness. He also gave the thumbs-neutral sign to Steve, who stayed out of sight but was asking a thousand questions with his eyes and expression, all beginning with, "How is it going?" Neutral apparently was satisfactory, so Steve held up his watch and tried to wiggle his ring finger. It was a strange pantomime, and the matron looked puzzled. Danny said, grinning widely, "He can explain later. Mrs. Edwards doesn't need to know."

"Oh!" She nodded in understanding, then went to get paper cups of water. She returned quickly.

Danny's grin lasted until he turned back toward Rachel, who was now mulling how this was going. Danny could almost see the cogs turning to work this back to her demands. But Danny stopped her, by refuting with his now firmly entrenched neutral voice, "I am not trying to stop Grace from being angry at you. She knows what you did, and the only way for her to cope right now is with anger. It is a reasonable reaction, but will not last forever. Or it might."

"I raised her better than to hold a grudge," spouted the now angry Rachel.

Danny was unmoved. "When Dana spilled punch on Grace's formal at whatever dinner that was for Stan's work, who demanded Grace not speak to Dana for three weeks? When Luana wore the same dress in a different color as Grace at the winter formal two years ago, who made her rescind her Christmas present to one of her closest friends? When Charlie was teased when he got his bangs lopped a bit unevenly because he moved in the barber's chair, and you said he could punch in the eye any kid who teased him, and-"

"Yes, all of that is true, Daniel." She sounded miffed with some confusion thrown in. "But I am her mother."

"Which reminds me," said Danny, with that same evenness he had said everything else in. "I think we need to get to the heart of why I am here. I know you have made some demands of me, and I have some of my own."

Rachel interrupted, ominously. "I take it you are refusing my demands?"

"Entirely," Danny answered. "You know you would need surgery to end this to testify against you, since there is no other honest thing for me to do. Neil Lane's widow, and Mo Morris' family, if he has any, and friends, which he does have, and even Jason Black require me to testify for them to receive justice. And then there are … my kids, who were almost deprived of their father. I am not testifying for my own sake, but others need justice done, including my children and an innocent little kitten. This is not to say I won't file papers against your estate, on behalf of Charlie and Grace. I'm sure all the others are going to sue your estate down to the bone, which is pretty much what you have set yourself up for."

"Our kids, and I didn't have anything to do with the cat."

"Kitten," countered Danny, firmly but without anger, but a hint of sadness that Rachel had such undetectable concern for anyone else's well being and her own culpability. "Now for my demands. I will have this all drawn up with my lawyer, who can have a long billable-hours lunch with yours to work this out. I want you to surrender all your parental rights, since I will be entirely raising Grace and Charlie now that you are going to be in prison for a long time. I will of course send your lawyer updates two or three times a year on how they are doing, school photos. Report cards. If they wish to write to you, they may, but you may not write to them except through my attorney, which is how I want any communication between us to come from now on."

"I am a widow of four days' time, and you want to take my children away from me. You really hate me, don't you?"

Danny paused and considered his answer very carefully. He was honest. "I don't hate you. I thought I might, and I think I have reason to hate you. But I feel nothing anymore for you."

"But we were married. We loved each other."

Danny shook his head. "It is true we were married, and have beautiful children who are good and loving. But I never knew you until now, Rachel. The woman I thought I knew would never have done the things you have. So I loved a … liar. A skillful liar. Now that I know who you are, I have to walk away and cut all ties. I am working on forgiving you, but I don't want you in my life anymore."

Rachel threw her cup of water at him, as furious as he was not. He moved out of the way, and sighed. "I knew that would happen, since you used to throw tea at me when we argued."

She sputtered, enraged to tears. "You can't leave me in here alone!"

Quietly, he said, "You did this to yourself, Rachel. There is nothing I can do but go on with my life, and hope you find some peace and go on with yours."

"I hate you! I will ruin you! I will go after your friends, your … new wife!"

This came as close to getting a rise out of Danny as she could get. He lowered his voice and his words were firm. "These conversations are recorded, and the charges against you will be amended to include these new threats. Stop before you get life. Besides, 'Forewarned is forearmed.'"

"I can't let you marry someone else! Who is she?" Rachel yelled. "Tell me!"

Danny answered quietly, "Someone that I _know_ , and love."

Rachel went into full-blown hysteria, such that the matron entered, and immediately called for two assistants to help move Rachel to the infirmary. Someone suggested a psyche evaluation, which increased the hysteria. Rachel was pulled from the room, in ankle and wrist restraints, shouting rude things to the finally sad man who watched her disappear around a cross-corridor. Eventually even her threats faded.

Danny and Steve stood side by side, until the quiet was restored. "I have no idea who that woman is, Steve," said Danny, turning to his friend.

Steve shook his head in worry. "I should never have told her you were getting married."

Danny sat down in the wheelchair again, shaking his head. "You had no idea she was this bad, and frankly neither did I. I hope they can treat her. I know they will try."

"You sound shaken."

"I am now. It seemed that the less emotional I was, the more she lost it. But, I want to forget this, and get on with my life."

"So you still feel up to ring shopping?"

"We won't get another chance before New Year's Eve."

"True," replied Steve, who frankly was shaken more than he wanted to admit. "Danny, let's get something to eat, somewhere quiet, and let this settle a bit, and then go find two beautiful ladies some perfect rings."

"Sounds good. Did you call Pua?"

"I will when we get our phones back at the check-in desk."

Danny laughed. "Oh, right. This isn't our blue room! She really would've lost it in there."

A guard came to push Danny's wheelchair back to the check-in area. "You don't seem like the type of guy to set someone off that badly," said the pale (for a Hawaiian) guard.

Steve didn't miss a beat. "You haven't known him long enough."

Which sent Danny into his own version of laughing hysterics. The tension was broken.


	55. Chapter 55 Cabbage Day

**Chapter 55** "Cabbage Day"

 **A/N:** (9 April 2017) Dear readers, I am sorry to keep you waiting for this, uh, rather odd chapter. I kept waiting for it to not have to be named Cabbage Day, but it went all insistent. So hopefully you, who have been so patient and kind in reviews, reads, and even a couple new follows, will not conclude that this story has dwindled down to vegetable fluff. There is meat to follow, real meat. I promise! And I value and thank you for your input, each and every one of you!

May you all have a wonderful day, and I promise to get back to non-fluff or at least less weird fluff soon? Everything happens for a reason in my stories. Even cabbage.

 **Chapter 55** "Cabbage Day"

(Thursday, 29 December 2016, 12:45 p.m.)

Danny and Steve ended up being driven to a small out-of-the-way diner named "Sarge's", which was run by the family of one of Steve's SEAL buddies. Pua had to report to a crime scene, so he dropped them off and promised someone would pick them up and take them to the next destination when they were ready.

Steve's buddy, a huge Hawaiian nicknamed Sarge because of his tough outward manner, but a total softie on the inside, had not made it home from war alive, so his family had been running the eatery in his honor. It was small, with only a dozen or so tables, usually frequented by regulars every day, from breakfast to closing time at midnight. Since it was so hidden between shops frequented by their own regular clientele, everyone knew when a new customer came in.

Danny and Steve were semi-regulars. It was one of their spots, and as such they were greeted warmly and spent a few minutes "shooting the breeze" with the counter waitress, a cheerful woman named Liza, who was Sarge's widow. Danny had fallen into a quiet mood, but he was greeted too, and his health asked after. "I saw all the news reports. I'm so glad you are going to be okay, and have this big lug SEAL to help look after you."

"He's taking good care of me, and I will probably start calling him 'big lug SEAL' from now on," Danny replied, smiling. "He's getting tired of Neanderthal."

Liza laughed. "I like it!"

"Oy," groused Steve, but in a very good-natured way. But then he asked for a very quiet table.

"You got it. Need menu's?"

"Nah," said Steve. "Everything is good. What's the Special of the Day?"

"The Special of the Day is meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, cabbage or green beans, a basket of rolls, and for dessert you can choose between chocolate cake, a brownie smothered in chocolate marshmallow sauce, or apple pie with a scoop of homemade strawberry ice cream on top."

Steve chose green beans and the brownie, while Danny went for cabbage and the apple pie, wheedling if they could fit the cake in there too, since they could probably split it. Liza smiled, and went on her way.

Danny lapsed into silence, his mind a whirl of the conversation he had had with his ex. Steve brought him up for air with one word. "Cabbage?"

Danny's brows didn't even rise. "I always get cabbage here when it's offered. This is the only place I have ever been that does cabbage right."

"I didn't know that there was even a way to do cabbage right."

Danny snorted. "You should try a bite of mine, then. It might enlighten you."

Steve looked horrified. "Danny, cabbage is a vegetable God is sorry he invented. It is like a horrible, mutant lettuce, and you are going to eat cooked mutant lettuce in my presence. I will try not to be sick. What if it is the purple kind?"

"Purple cabbage can be bitter, I agree. But they don't serve purple cabbage here. It's always the green kind. Raw or pickled cabbage, I agree with you. I still cannot figure out why KFC serves coleslaw with everything else they do. I have never in my life seen anyone actually eat it, except you."

Steve's brows furrowed deeply. "I eat it. I always eat it. It comes with KFC, I can't waste it. I like it."

The corners of Danny lips curved down while his brows finally arched and went up. "You do know that coleslaw is _raw_ cabbage, carrots and other stuff, mixed up to be colorful and entirely inedible, don't you?"

Steve looked even more horrified. "I've been eating raw cabbage?"

"You have. And you are insulting my cooked cabbage that God would eat, because you in your life at some point took a dislike to cabbage, but have been eating it all this time in blissful ignorance, so you don't actually dislike cabbage; you just think you do."

"I can't eat at KFC anymore," 'ew-ed' Steve. "All this time, nobody told me coleslaw was raw cabbage. And you and Kono and Chin all give me yours. Why would you do that?" He was making his 'betrayed by the universe' face.

Danny folded his fingers together on the tablecloth, except for the errant thumb still forced to stick straight up due to his cast. "Because we thought you ate it because you liked it, and we mutually see no need to ruin fried chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes and gravy and half a corn on the cob smothered in butter by adding raw cabbage et cetera to it, so we give you ours because you inhale it happily. I did not know you were insulted by cabbage's existence, so I doubt they know either. And how can you say you can't eat at KFC anymore because you finally learned at age 40 that coleslaw –which you have been inhaling at regular intervals and multiple portions to date, and even said you like- is raw cabbage?"

"It's just that now I know. And the corn is smothered in margarine from those little squeezie packets."

Danny made a W with his thumbs and forefingers. "Whatever," he said. "If you discovered it was made of ground bug shells, I could understand. But it's just cabbage!"

"Okay okay okay. But I will have to think about it now. What else has cabbage in it?"

"Sauerkraut, which is cabbage soaked to death in brine," stated Danny, and from the look on Steve's face, he could tell this wasn't helping cabbage's cause any. "Then there's Borscht. Soup (sortof) made with cabbage and beets. Okay, I admit I don't like either of those. Need I go on?"

" _And_ beets?** Oh Lord, save us." They shuddered in unison, and Danny slid into silence again after their water glasses were filled by a very nice waitress named Bessie. She also brought them a basket lined with a linen napkin, filled with rolls and little pats of butter on one side, and margarine on the other. They both thanked Bessie and, while Steve went for the butter, Danny thought of Dr. Cornett and went for the margarine.

Steve realized Danny was once again probably thinking about Rachel, so he again brought him out of those upsetting thoughts. They needed to talk about it, but that could wait for the meatloaf, which was the best either man had ever tasted, which was saying a lot.

"Doc C is not going to like the portion sizes we are gonna get here."

"I won't tell him if you don't."

"Deal." Then Danny sighed. "Steve, Rachel might have just been letting off steam, but she threatened my friends and fiancée, and in case she means it, I'd feel a lot better if everyone is warned discreetly and Becca I am definitely going to protect. I know you are still dealing with your arm and other injuries, so I want you to promise to be careful. I know you will take care of Hannah."

Steve took a buttery bite out of his dinner roll, which was large, crusty on the outside but soft and perfect on the inside. He chewed until it was possible to make a sound resembling a word. "Uv ee avv" (he swallowed) "conections?"

Danny, somehow understanding what Steve had said, blew out a breath strong enough to make the single peace lily and asparagus fern in the bud vase on their table wobble and wave lazily. "I don't know if she has connections, but I'm realizing how simultaneously much and little I know about Rachel."

"I hope they do a psyche evaluation on her. Definitely put her on watch, because she could be a harm to that baby."

Danny nodded, after swallowing his own bite of roll. "I thought of that. Seriously, Steve, the whole thing didn't go as I expected. I still feel nothing for her. We had kids together, and –geez!—Stan probably heard me tell you that I thought I was still in love with Rachel while we were about to go KO from being drugged. How much things have changed in such a short time."

"Rachel still had your emotions spinning like a top. Now, you can see things clearly," said Steve, encouragingly.

"Very clearly. I literally feel like I have a new lease on life, and it will be happier. Rachel is like that song, 'Somebody That I Used To Know', minus the anger in it, and while we have a permanent connection through Grace and Charlie, I still feel nothing." Something entered his thoughts then, and he paused, with his roll raised toward his mouth. "I totally failed to convince her to not take this to trial, though. I guess we will have to wait and see what she decides there."

Steve nodded and looked around them. From their table for two in the back, he could see all the other diners if he looked between the fronds of a fern tree which blocked anyone from really seeing them clearly. "Do you have anything else on your mind, besides rings?"

Danny pursed his lips, and ended up sucking on this lower lip. Steve had seen Charlie do that recently, and he wondered if Danny picked it up from his son, or his son and picked up the habit from his dad. "So what else do you have on your mind?"

Danny ate a bite of his roll, which quietly drove Steve into purgatory because he really wanted to know, since when Danny was slow to answer, it meant whatever it was was really big. Danny realized his delay was testing Steve's limit to not ask again. So he cleared his still-husky throat and put down the rest of his roll. "What if I blow my second chance? I'm not very good at … I mean, all those cards and letters and flowers and balloons, the money from total strangers because I did my job and saved my best friend's life, when really it was the surgical team, and didn't die when Stan did his best to make me, and blew up my house, and I lost all my stuff, but nothing that can't be replaced. And it just makes me realize how much I have that could never be taken from me, not by Stan or Rachel or anyone. I'm used to, deep down, being sad. And now, I don't feel sad, and I hope this lasts. Becca is so happy, and even if I don't know what to say to all these strangers who are being so kind to me, I hope this lasts."

"You mean feeling not sad, and Becca, and kindness shown you, and all of that lasts?"

Danny simply nodded.

Steve, who had managed to finish his roll by virtue of taking huge bites, used his napkin to wipe his lips. "I have noticed a change in you since we almost lost you. The drug mix-up thing."

Danny smiled and his eyes glinted. "I almost asked which 'almost lost you', but I know what you mean." He paused to gather his thoughts and glanced out the window, without seeing a thing that was on the other side of the glass because he was seeing his thoughts. "I feel so different. I always thought I would die from my job, or your driving, or Grace being on a date, or someone crazy from the past wanting revenge, or feeling like I'd died because someone I loved died. I never expected to react to a drug I wasn't even supposed to get. I expected to go by violence or heartbreak. And instead, people I don't know are pouring out their hearts to me and sending checks and gift cards and telling me they care that I didn't die. And Rachel couldn't even begin to make me lose my temper. One day I'm deep in PTSD, and while I know it's not gone, it's so much better. Am I still me? Who is this Danny Williams?"

Steve smiled gently, and hitched his sling a bit so the strap against his neck was a little more comfortable. "See, people are either 'glass half full' or 'glass half empty', when it's the same thing, just a shift in attitude. But when you go from half full to full full, that's a change to rejoice in. And I think that's what you're experiencing."

Danny nodded, a small nod. "That's exactly what I'm experiencing. I didn't feel this in the box, maybe was starting to feel half full with the rescue. But then came Mo's phone, and Stan being a depraved jerk, and losing my house and things, and feeling that was the story of my life, on steroids. If it can go FUBAR, it will go FUBAR. But now, I know it can go there, and be fixed, and the only thing that matters is the good we do, the love we show, the love we accept, and grace, the kind from the guy Upstairs. The kind where the doc finds the antidote to the med in time and you get a fresh start, and realize things that have been right in front of your face all your life, but somehow you didn't see them. I do now. I used to see the guy who might one day be in one of our cases, and now I see people who offer a cop stranger some help because they believe that he has helped them, or people he or she cares about. That's what I see now. And I like this version of me better. I just hope it lasts. Because when my time comes, I want to die seeing good in people rather than bad. I'm glad I got another chance at life, so I could see this instead of what I used to see."

Steve was glad to hear all this. "I know you passed a big test today, if this was going to be temporary. Temporary equals you getting mad at Rachel today. Or maybe we should make sure Doc C keeps you on these meds forever."

"It's not meds!" groused Danny, but with good nature. He barked a small laugh. "Maybe it is meds. But I want to stay like this."

Steve let his own eyes sparkle. "I love you either way. But I can't wait to see how this changes your reaction to my driving, or the stress of picking the right ring, or the first time Becca does that female hands-on-hips thing that equals Danny is in the doghouse."

Danny's whole face lit up in mirth. "I read an article that says how to keep out of the doghouse."

Steve chuckled. "Oh? How?"

"Have a florist on speed dial, and keep a stash of little things she will like, so when she calls you an insensitive jerk or whatever it is, you are prepared to prove that you love her and agree with her that you deserve the hands on hips, even if you don't really think you do. And as a last resort, have a really comfortable couch."

This brought forth a laugh. "I'll keep those in mind, but especially the comfy couch one, since if Becca or Hannah read that article, too, we would still end up needing Plan Couch."

They were in good spirits when their lunch and tea arrived, and with his eyes tight shut, Steve tried a bite of Danny's cabbage, and after he had chewed it to death and swallowed it without looking like a man on verge of de-eating, he furrowed his brows as only Steve McGarrett could.

"So?" asked Danny, forcefully. "Good? Bad? Poisonous? I can't tell. Your eyebrows are doing this weird, scrunchy thing."

Steve finally said, after trying another bite of the cabbage, "I may have been doing this vegetable an injustice, based on this and coleslaw. I may have to try sauerkraut and borscht."

Danny frowned. "Don't get carried away. Remember the beets in the borscht."

"I saw an ad for beet chips."

"Please don't say another word about beets until after we finish the meatloaf and dessert?"

In banter the two men finished their lunch, and when it was time to get their check, Liza informed them that it was paid in full, courtesy of an older couple who had recognized them when they came in, and paid for their meal. She unfolded a note and laid it on the table, so both could read it. "Officers, thank you for all you do for Hawaii, and enjoy your meal. God bless you." She also pulled out an envelope from her apron, and handed it to Danny. In it was a twenty-dollar bill, crisp as if it was new-minted. "To help you get back on your feet," said the note, written in a very neat feminine script. Danny kept reading the post script. "We run a veggie stand (organic only) in summer. Come by any time for free cabbage! See the attached business card."

"Awwww! That is so kind," said Danny, eyes glistening. "Are they still here so I can thank them?"

Liza shook her head. "They left twenty minutes ago. They heard you order the cabbage."

Danny gave Liza a hug, and realized that with the glass full approach to life came a propensity to tears of gratitude and happiness. Steve kept smiling brightly, and he covered the tip for the waitress, Bessie, who had cheerfully kept their water glasses and tea cups full.

And so the afternoon continued. Duke came by to ferry them to the jewelry store, where he dropped them off. Pua would be by when they were done, to sneak them back into Tripler, still beset by media.

They found beautiful rings, with sentimental value for each couple, and Steve laughed when Danny's extra gift to Becca and Grace, in slightly differing styles and colors, turned out to be earrings of porcelain cabbage roses. The jeweler, recognizing them, gave them both a 50% discount on their bills, and was delighted with each man's choice.

Danny's 'Cabbage Day' did not end at the jeweler's, either. Dinner was meatloaf and coleslaw. Steve instantly asked if he could have a tray, too, and the nursing staff obliged, and he willingly ate Danny's slaw as well as his own. More bags of mail had come, and Danny felt his heart full to bursting with good will, while Steve watched his partner with his own full heart.

Becca and Hannah came by, with Becca's scrubs top featuring vegetables, including the now inevitable cabbages.

It had been a good day, forever after referred to by Danny as "Cabbage Day."

.

.

.

** No offense to all cabbage, coleslaw and beet and borscht lovers out there! I love cabbage, but not cole slaw, and do not admit that purple beets are anything approaching edible, even though I have had them a (very) few times (cooked) in my life, willingly! I just can't get past how purple they are, and as for borscht …..uh. First time borscht is okay, but after leftovers for 5 days, seriously I can't look at it anymore. I will spare you the long version of this story. I live by the adage that you eat what you like, and I will eat what I like, and I won't insult your food if you don't insult mine. 😃 I have a feeling Danny and Steve could really get into this food thing!


	56. Chapter 56 Danny & Becca

**Chapter 56** "Danny  & Becca"

A/N: (23 May 2017) Once again, I must thank you all for the reviews I did not expect for a chapter featuring cabbages! I especially enjoyed hearing your opinions on cabbages, and cole slaw, and even beets, and I learned so much, and I thank you so heartily! You are good people, kind, and just wonderful!

This chapter was slow because the yard broke, and I got sick (allergies ugh 5000000 times!) and then I literally had a hard time coming up with the music I needed to have in my head for this particular story. But when I found it, it just "sang" if you will, and the writing came fast then. I hope you enjoy it.

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0, so we write for fun and make no money at all from it. We just have fun.

 **Chapter 56** "Danny  & Becca"

(Thursday, 29 December 2016, 10:30 p.m.)

The light was off in Danny's hospital room, but it was still lit, for he kept the late nite talk show on the TV, but the sound was muted, and his mind was on the little screen of a tablet device, casting a golden tone to his face as he watched intently. He was using earbud earphones, noise cancelling, with good sound, and was focused, listening over and over to a song he had found on YouTube. It was Evynne Hollens* singing her cover of "Burn" from the Broadway musical Hamilton: An American Musical. He had listened to the song a half dozen times already, and was just starting on the seventh "replay" when he heard the rap on the doorframe on his door. He paused the video and glanced over to see Becca, not in scrubs, smiling at him, holding cups of hot chocolate and smores on a little tray.

"Can I come in? Am I interrupting?" asked Becca, the sheen from her dark curls taking on the muted light in the room, her lip gloss shimmering just a little, the planes and softness of her face lovely as she stood in the doorway, backlit from the hallway, her features and figure hinted at from television's glow in the room.

"Please, come in," said Danny, his own face brightening with a warm smile as he held out his hand to Becca. "You're just the person I wanted to see. I'm so glad you came by. Turn on the light." He wanted to see her, and without fully realizing it, he wanted her to see him, as if this half-light was hiding truths he did not want to keep from her. He flicked off the TV and put the remote back on the bedstand as the overhead light came on.

"What were you doing?" asked Becca, her voice the one Danny heard in his dreams, and his waking hours. He loved her voice. "I'm surprised to find you alone. Where's Steve? Angel is fine, by the way. Asleep."

Danny chuckled at that. Even his kitten was back at the Cornett house, having spent most of the day at the hospital, even when Danny was gone for a while, with Steve, as he talked with Rachel at the prison, and then snuck with Steve to get some lunch, and even more secretively went to the jeweler's to pick out engagement rings for their fiancées.

"I think Dr. Cor … your dad threatened him with a decontamination shower if he didn't go home and then stay there for a few hours to get some real sleep. Hannah stopped by, so he left with her, and I'm pretty sure your dad doesn't know, but if he does, he has decided to let adults be adults."

Becca smiled with that hint of mischief that drove Danny's heart happily crazy. "Oh, so she went to Steve's house. We better not tell my dad, especially if there might be showering involved. Hannah … well, she and Steve have something special, that's for sure."

"As do we," murmured Danny, eyes flicking again to the paused YouTube video. "The truth is that I needed a little time alone, but not from you. I was hoping we could talk. After the smores and hot chocolate. This sounds like Charlie and Grace finally are getting some sleep? If they have trouble, they like this before bed." He patted the edge of his bed and skootched over a bit to give her more room. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you!" said Becca, blushing sweetly as she moved toward his bed. Danny admired respectfully her floral cap-sleeved blouse and sky blue lightweight twill shorts and ballet flat shoes. "And you are especially right about Charlie. He's really starting to pick up that this is not as temporary as he thought, staying at my dad's house. He asked why they don't see their mom, or their house."

"Ah," said Danny, and took the tray from Becca as she climbed up onto the bed with him and gave him a loving kiss. "I'll have to talk with him about that. I will talk with the child psychologist first. Charlie is only 4."

"Four and a half," reminded Becca, handing Danny a hot chocolate, and a cooling smore. "He's very proud of that half." She looked at the paused video on Danny's tablet. "What's this?"

"It's a song I was listening to. I went looking for one I brought up to Steve this afternoon, 'Somebody That I Used To Know', and found a few versions, and one of them led to this song, and it's like I'm listening emotionally in a lot of ways to a female version of myself when my ex-wife became my ex-wife. It's a gorgeous song. Here." He handed her the earphones, and after she put them in, he hit replay, and watched the song, hearing it in his head because he had it memorized.

 _ **Burn**_

 _From Hamilton: An American Musical (Broadway show)_

 _I saved every letter you wrote me._

 _From the moment I read them, I knew you were mine_

 _You said you were mine_

 _I thought you were mine._

 _Do you know what Angelica said, when we saw your first letter arrive?_

 _She said, "Be careful with that one, Luv; he will do what it takes to survive."_

 _You and your words flooded my senses_

 _Your sentences left me defenseless_

 _You built me palaces out of paragraphs_

 _You built cathedrals._

 _I'm re-reading the letters you wrote me_

 _I'm searching and scanning for answers in every line, for some kind of sign,_

 _And when you were mine, the world seemed to burn … burn._

 _You will publish the letters she wrote you._

 _You told the whole world how you brought this girl into our bed._

 _In clearing your name you have ruined our lives._

 _Do you know what Angelica said, when she read what you've done?_

 _She said, "You have married an Icarus. He has flown too close to the sun."_

 _You and your words, obsessed with your legacy_

 _Your sentences border on senseless_

 _And you are paranoid in every paragraph_

 _How they perceive you … youyouyou…._

 _I'm erasing myself from the narrative._

 _Let future historians wonder how Eliza reacted when you broke her heart._

 _You have torn it all apart-_

 _I'm watching it burn, watching it burn…_

 _The world has no place in my heart_

 _The world has no place in my bed_

 _They don't get to know what I said._

 _I'm burning the memories, burning the letters that might have redeemed you._

 _You forfeit all rights to my heart_

 _You forfeit the place in our bed_

 _You sleep in your office instead_

 _With only of the memories of when you were mine._

 _I hope that you …_

 _Burn._

Danny watched the video with Becca, glancing up often to see what her face revealed. She barely blinked, so intently did she listen and watch. When it ended, she touched the replay button, and it was only when the song came to an end again that she looked at Danny. She removed the earbuds and handed them back to Danny. "I've never heard this before. It's powerful." She cocked her head to one side. "I can tell that it means something to you. Are you," she began to ask, hesitantly, "still this angry at your ex?"

Danny put his arm around Becca's shoulder and held her against him. "That's just it: I'm not. But seven years ago, when I first came to Hawaii, I was. Every day was a battle with my demon anger. Every day I saw all this sunshine and warmth, when I was frozen inside, and under a dark cloud. But now …." He smiled wryly. "Back then, you would not have liked me, let alone loved me. I wouldn't have even begun to deserve you, which is something I'm still sure that I don't."

Becca smiled. "You do. Besides, the heart decides, doesn't it? What is that saying? 'Don't marry the man you can live with; marry the one you can't live without.' For me, that's you."

Their kiss was long and lingering, and at the end of it, their foreheads were touching, and they had matching quickened heartbeats, slowing together as one. Danny whispered, "I will probably never understand it, but I know I cannot live without you."

They drank their not-as-hot chocolate and ate their smores in companionable silence, and after, Becca asked why Danny had gone looking for the song that had lead him to 'Burn'. "Something was on your mind."

Danny nodded. "I had to go see Rachel this morning, and things went badly. She's now in the psyche ward at the prison, because she became hysterical and issued a bunch of threats that are probably hollow. One was against you, though she doesn't know your name. Steve told her I'm engaged, and it's fine if she has lovers and a new husband, and she apparently isn't threatened by me having a casual girlfriend, but woe to the world if I remarry."

Becca frowned, but with compassion. "She sounds very sad."

"I'm sure that's part of it, but it's more something I only realized after learning she and her God-rest-his-soul, about-to-be-divorced-from husband tried to kill me. Come on, Sweetheart, let's take a walk. The lanai? Is it allowed this late?"

Becca shrugged. "You wear a robe, and let's bring a blanket. We can stop at the nurses' station and tell them where you are. Obviously, your sleep medication did not work."

"I didn't take that one. I really needed to think."

"There hasn't been much chance for that, has there?"

"Not since my rescue from the box. I'm not complaining. But I needed some time alone."

H50 H50 H50 H50

It was only minutes later that the couple had settled, wrapped together in the blanket, on the bench on the lanai four doors down from Danny's room. Tripler was lit up with lights as it climbed the hillside, but they sat facing the Pacific, too far away to be heard, yet near enough that the salt tang in the air reached them, and the moon reflected on small waves in seas ruffled by a very gentle breeze. The stars were out like little diamonds scattered on a piece of velvet, especially concentrated in the Milky Way, almost directly above them.

"What a lovely night," sighed Becca, contentedly as she leaned against Danny's left side. She had the tablet and earbuds in her lap, but was ignoring both in favor of sharing the heavenly display with her fiance.

"I hated these nights when I first got to Hawaii. I was used to city lights, New York City in the distance. Now, I don't know what I was thinking, except that I was always angry."

Becca looked at Danny. "But not now? What changed?"

Danny looked into Becca's chocolate eyes. "My heart. My soul. I got inducted into this group led by Steve, and found my reluctant self with an ohana, and that helped. Friends I didn't appreciate became family I loved. I had my time with Grace, always precious, and later added Charlie. The anger lessened, almost without me being aware it was receding. And then, the box. I had so much time to think in there while I was working to try to escape. I had to come to terms with what mattered in life, and what didn't. I thought of you a lot, and vowed to date you if you would have me, when I got out. When, not if. Every time I thought 'if', I finally slapped myself, because negativity would not get me out of there, and back to those I love, who love me."

Becca kissed him, then laid her head on his shoulder. "I prayed for you. I worried so much about you. I loved you already."

"I'm glad, but will never understand it. And yet, I realized I loved you."

"Do we have a song?" asked Becca, turning to look at Danny.

He smiled in that special way that was only for her. "We do! Put in the earbuds."

Becca did, and Danny took the tablet and typed in _The Man From Snowy River Jessicas Theme**_ , and hit the right choice when several popped up. He knew it by heart, a delicate piano piece from a movie most people have forgotten about.

Becca listened to it three times, and then they set the tablet down on the bench, the volume very low, and the couple danced to it, Danny leading, even dipping Becca at an appropriate time in the music. They played it several times, and had no idea nurses had come to the door and were watching, trying to stay out of sight. Then Danny switched the selection to _Twin Soliloquies_ *** from _South Pacific_. When Danny and Becca slowed and began kissing, their audience let out silent sighs, and left them alone with the music, the stars, and the gentle breeze.

"I love you, Becca," Danny said softly but clearly, and dipped her again, and kissed her again, and their silent audience sighed almost jealously, while Becca sighed with pure joy.

.

.

*Evynne Hollens and her husband Peter Hollens are singers/performers from the Eugene, OR area. They are good people! Peter is perhaps better known, especially for his intricate and lush a capella songs which can feature up to 120 tracks, so unless stated otherwise, he sings all the parts. I had never heard anything like it before. He has done collaborations with many artists, notably Lindsay Stirling (their _Skyrim_ cover [Peter sings it in Dragonkin language from the video game] is one of my forever faves), for he has been on YouTube for over 4 years now, and Evynne at least 1, probably longer. Evynne is probably best known for her Disney Princess song covers, and wow! I only stumbled upon them a few months ago, and instantly I supported them both through , and wish I had found their music a lot sooner than I did. I do not know them personally (I wish) but support them and this is the only venue I have to get their names out to quite a few people at once. I mention them not to drum up more patrons for them, tho that won't hurt anything, but because literally this track, Burn, fit this chapter. I had not heard it until last week, and then the chapter began to really take shape.

** _The Man From Snowy River: Jessica's Theme (Breaking The Colt)_ is one of my all-time favorites ever, and I've listened to it hundreds of times over the many years I have known of it. It is delicate and romantic, and when I went looking for the right music for this chapter, since it revolves around music, I needed something for Danny and Becca, and this came immediately to mind. I'm sure there are a hundred other songs that would suit them as well, but this one is the one my mind chose.

*** _Twin Soliloquies_ is the one Emile and Nellie sing silently to themselves when they are each realizing they want to marry the other. Another forever favorite from childhood onward. I didn't even know it had a name until this chapter demanded music. 😉


	57. Chapter 57 Soulmates

**Chapter 57** "Soulmates"

.

 **A/N:** (6 June 2017) Uhm. First, thank you so much for all the kind reviews, the sighs and enjoyment of Danny and Becca! I'm really happy you enjoyed that, since it was about time they got a chapter. Thank you beyond happiness! Glad you liked the music!

And then there is this chapter. I rewrote it uh, well, a few times, because it could have gone quite a few ways, but I wanted to tie the family together, and, uh, knew that uhm…see, I'm a fade to black when it comes to romance. I can write it, but I'd prefer to let you imagine a lot, because you will imagine what most satisfies you, whereas I might write something that just doesn't match your imagination. So! Here ya go! Hope you like it, and, I'll just stop there!

Till the next chapter! 😃

 **Chapter 57** "Soulmates"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, midnight)

Dr. Cornett had finished for the night, since it wasn't actually one he was scheduled to work. He had already hung his lab coat on his office door hook, and tossed his scrubs into the laundry down the hall. There was another set in his office, with his name embroidered over the breast pocket, his ID badge in his top left desk drawer. In a muted blue aloha shirt and khaki slacks, he headed up the hallway to Danny Williams' room, having heard through the hospital grape vine that Becca was with his patient, and that they had spent some time on the lanai, and almost every nurse he passed was looking wistful and vaguely distracted. He had heard murmurs of why, and was smiling on the inside.

The light was off in Danny's room, except for a nightlight that was always waiting to come on when it got dark, but the light from the hall backlit him and sent a sharp rectangle of illumination into the room, disturbed only by his tall silhouette. Danny was now asleep in his hospital bed, looking so relaxed and content, it gentled the kind face of his doctor. He liked this man. He had in fact come to more than like this man. He felt about him as he would a son. Which he would become soon.

But he was not alone in the bed.

Curled against Danny's side, but atop the blankets, was his fiancée, Cornett's daughter Becca, draped in a spare blanket, fast asleep, one hand resting on Danny's chest, over his heart. Dr. Cornett felt he could almost see them dreaming in unison, as soulmates often did.

It would be criminal to wake either of them.

He smoothed the blanket lovingly over Becca, and looked at Danny's readouts. He was doing very well. One more day and he could be released, if the test results he was awaiting came back as he thought they would.

With a fatherly smile, he left the room and made his way to the elevator. He hoped his wife and soulmate, Sarah, was still awake. They had not gotten to spend much time together in the past few days, and he wanted to make it up to her. He smelled the flowers he had taken from the florist shop's worth in Danny's room. He wouldn't miss it, but Sarah loved peace lilies, and Danny still had 5 other peace lily bouquets, let alone the other flowers. He couldn't wait to give these to Sarah, and maybe she would join him in the shower, and more.

When he pulled up under the carport, he saw Sarah silhouetted against the light of the open front door. She had heard his car, and was waiting up for him, in a … beautiful lightweight, low-cut nightgown that fit so well. The lack of robe meant the kids were asleep, and his heart quickened as he grabbed the lush bouquet, shoving it behind his broad back as he approached her. With a flourish, he presented his treasure to Sarah. "For you, my love," he said in a voice patients never heard, sensual and soft.

She grinned that unexpectedly devilish, impish grin she saved for special occasions, just between the two of them. "You are so busted. You stole these from Danny!"

"Uh …."

Sarah's voice was playful, her eyes sparkling in that way that sent zingers from the top of the doctor's head to his toes, and didn't miss anything in between. "This is the bouquet I picked out for Danny at the florist earlier today. I recognize the little … bent … stem … on … _that_ … fern." She tapped the little fern lightly, and then turned smoldering eyes on her husband.

"… oh …."

In a husky, sexy voice she coo-ed, "I love you, Isaac Cornett." And she stood on tippy toes and kissed him until they had to break off to breathe. He scooped her up into his arms, and carried her inside the house, and after they cooperated on closing and locking the door, they both took deeper breaths and took up where they had left off.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Steve McGarrett was finding it difficult to carry out his primary purpose in this moment of life, which was to kiss the holy daylights out of Hannah Cornett without causing certain events to transpire that would cause him to break his word to Hannah's father, that he would not carry things beyond the point of no return. His difficulty was threefold: he really really wanted to go there, and so did Hannah, and her father carried a scalpel, so perhaps Steve's problem was fourfold, since that scalpel was becoming harder and harder to remember, since they had been kissing for quite some time, and a few articles of clothing had been shed somewhere in there, and Hannah was incredibly beautiful and Steve was pretty sure by a certain expertise she showed that she had ignored the scalpel before.

Which meant he had to do all the remembering, and he was male. And Hannah really really wanted to go there.

"Uh, Hannah?"

Much kissing, and not kissing that didn't quite require crossing the line entirely. But it was getting closer.

"Yes, Stiff?" Steve thought Hannah had the most enticingly beautiful breathy voice after this much kissing and the stuff that goes along with kissing.

"Uh!" Oh this was getting difficult. Steve finally held her at arm's length, which was hard to do with just one working arm, while she had two and was using them. "Hannah, I gave your dad my word!"

She stilled. "You mean you meant it? It wasn't just, you know, for show?"

Steve had to consider this carefully. Because if he told the truth, that meant he had to keep his word of honor that he would not deflower this entirely enticing and willing a soulmate, because truth be told he did not at this moment want to tell the truth.

Because they could both have what they wanted if he didn't tell the truth. Hannah was giving him permission for some prolonged deflowering.

But it wasn't right! He had given his word, and Steve, even under duress, where his fiancee's father was concerned, thought he should keep his word.

He hid behind the kitchen counter. Very much to Hannah's surprise. "See, uh, I did mean it. It's not easy to say that, given the eight-tenths of your clothes which are currently not on you, and my similar state, and I really love that thong! But I did mean it. Do you think we could, maybe, stop at 50% clothes and possibly employ chaperones or public places if that's what it takes to keep my word to your father, which only has your best interests in mind, and possibly my ability to father children, if your father was serious?"

Hannah twirled, showing off her thong and the rest of her, which was even better than that scrap of lace. "I'm glad you like it." She giggled, and Steve's briefs gave up and became shaped differently as she used her voice to best effect and breathily whispered, "Well, I guess we could go for a swim? We could swim and … talk?"

Steve turned around and grabbed a bottle of water, took a long hydrating swig, for something to do while his briefs got more shapey. "Yes, yes! Let's go for a swim! And talk!"

He turned back around when he heard the back door open, and was just in time to see the perfect back of a golden streak of an athletically shaped goddess disappear outside, and the two scraps of lace left behind on the carpet. Pink. Lace. Scraps.

"Oh," said Steve, and didn't think they were going to be doing a lot of talking. Or swimming. Another article joined Hannah's lace while Steve muttered, "Scalpel, be damned."


	58. Chapter 58 Right Or Wrong?

Chapter 58 "Right Or Wrong?"

A/N: (30 June 2017) Wow! Okay, I personally thanked every reviewer, and will do this from now on, because you are all deserving of my time and gratitude, and to know it! I've been wrong not to do this all along! Thank you so much, because I do this for you, and for me, but you people are the best!

I had a terrible time with this chapter, because I was stuck. Creative block, because something was coming through that I didn't want to come through. And then I got a review asking for the information in this chapter, and the words flew! So special thanks to the final reviewer of Chapter 57, who gave me the courage to write this.

.

Chapter 58 "Right Or Wrong?"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 1 a.m.)

Steve stepped out the door, ready to see Hannah's lovely and unclothed back halfway to the water, but what he saw made his eyes bug and his own nudity suddenly not seem like such a good idea. Hannah let out a frightened squeak as the neighbor two houses up picked up her micro-miniature "dog" and clutched it lovingly to her barely-there bosoms. Her bottleglass specs were apparent in the moon and starlight, as was her inability to see well even with them.

Hannah was as tense as a statue of Artemis. She was staring at the dog.

"Steve?" she said, in a thin, wavery voice. "Help?"

Steve of course had his own problems, but he knew the neighbor, and that her vision wasn't picking up on anything anyone else's would have picked up on. But he went into Total Protect mode. He grabbed a towel off the back of one chair, and another off the back of the other, and wrapped Hannah first, and then himself, sidling in front of Hannah so she could adjust her towel as she saw fit. He wrapped his around his waist and turned his voice into sugar syrup, pronouncing every word clearly and slowly to compensate for the woman's known poor hearing.

"Mrs. Benson! How lovely to see you out so late! In my private yard. I see you brought Cupcake with you! Where's Big Boy?" He whispered, soto voce, to Hannah that Mrs. Benson was a neighbor, and Hannah whispered, her own low voice shaky, "I'm s-s-s-scared of tiny d-d-dogs!" She was literally pressed against his back, probably no longer even visible to the neighbor with the bottle glass specs, unless she counted legs, which Steve knew she would not bother to do.

Mrs. Benson, who was tiny, thin, elderly and wearing a knee length floral muumuu in a neon green color visible from outer space (but probably not to her), glanced at him, peering. "Oh, John! Didn't realize you were home! Where's that son of yours? Have you had him checked by the doctor? He should have a growth spurt by now, don't you think?"

Again, soto voce, he explained to Hannah that Mrs. Benson still called him John, after his father, because she thought he _was_ his father, and she thought Danny was him. "Yup, I'm home! My son is, uh, sleeping upstairs! It's awfully late for you, would you like me to walk you and Cupcake home?"

"Ohhhh, what a dear man you are! That would be just lovely."

Steve whispered to Hannah that she could run for the house quite safely, he'd be back in five minutes, and he heard Hannah's light footfalls as she took him up on the haven.

H50 H50 H50 H50

It was almost exactly five minutes later that Steve came in through the back door, and the first thing he noticed was the lack of lace lingerie on his floor, and Hannah fully clothed on his couch, clutching a cup of tea, which was still shaking. He slipped on his briefs, then pants and shirt, and brought out the teapot and refilled her cup and poured himself one too, setting the tray the teapot was on onto the coffee table. "I'm sorry. Mrs. Benson doesn't usually trespass like that. She didn't even see you, and I'm really sorry you got scared like that. It is a very small dog."

"When I was very small, so I shouldn't even remember it, but oh I do," began Hannah, burrowing against Steve's side, "I was attacked by this micro dog who had puppies, which I thought were plush toys they were so small, and the momma dog went berserk, and I had to have three surgeries to fix the scars from that. You can only faintly see them now." She showed Steve the faint marks on her upper arm, which truly were barely visible if one didn't know to look for them. "Perk of having a father who knows amazing surgeons."

Steve switched to Hannah's other side so he could pull her closer to him with his left arm. "I know childhood fears are the hardest ones to get past."

"I've really tried, but itty bitty dogs just … they are my spiders or snakes. Which, oddly, I am not afraid of. I'm so sorry I ruined the night!"

"Oh heavens, you didn't!" He was rubbing Hannah's arm, soothing her as best he could.

"I was going to grab the towel anyway, since I figured you passed the test and were keeping your word to Dad, but there was Mrs. Benson and … Cupcake? … and the little creature unnerved me into trembling statue-ization. Why did she call you John?"

"John was my dad's name, my middle name, and she has some Alzheimer's, and doesn't remember that my dad died, and since she can't see worth beans and had a crush on my dad even when my mom was still around, which was a bit of a neighborhood scandal, uh, anyway, she calls me John. The hysterical part is that she thinks Danny is my son and calls him Steve! Drives him nuts, but he's so polite with her, you'd never know it when she does it, until afterwards, and then he has this funny little fit, since she's such a fragile old lady, and he only does it in the house so she can't see it."

Hannah had stopped trembling. "Oh, that's so sweet! Weird of her, but sweet of Danny!"

Steve smiled, and nodded, and turned to kiss her disheveled golden hair. "It really is sweet! You haven't seen him all fuses blown, which can be not sweet, but around Mrs. Benson, he seems to even feel guilty about the indoor fits at being called Steve."

"Does someone take care of her?"

"Yes," Steve answered. "She has twin sons, fraternal but they might as well be identical, they come so close to it, and they run a car detailing shop not too far away, and have an apartment somewhere in town, but they are at their mom's a lot."

Hannah turned then after a brief silence, and looked Steve shyly in the eyes and abruptly changed the subject. "See, I think we should respect your promise to my dad, and I know I made it hard for you tonight, but most guys would not even try to keep their word. I had to see just how much it took to push you, because I won't marry a man who won't keep his word about difficult things, and you kept yours, except for the end part there, where I didn't keep mine either. So, you passed the test, and I can marry you with a fully happy and confident heart. Stiff, we are soulmates. We broke at exactly the same moment."

Steve relaxed, and felt Hannah relaxing into him, and he was happy. "I love you," he whispered, and she purred. The silence wasn't broken until he asked, teasingly, "What else are you phobic about?"

She giggled. "Weird dolls and clowns."

"What is a weird doll?"

"Those old kinds with the strange eyes that they use in horror movies." She burrowed again. "Ewww!"

"And clowns?"

"And clowns."

Steve kissed her hair again and promised they would have a weird-doll-free home, with no clowns.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 7:30 a.m.)

Hannah had returned to the apartment she shared with Becca, leaving Steve to fall asleep on the couch in his living room. He felt happy, and lighthearted when he woke to the sound of someone rapping on his front door. It was early, so he hoped it was Hannah, returning, although why she would knock was rattling around in his mind. He had given her a spare key.

He was even more surprised that it was Sgt. Duke Lukela, in slightly rumpled uniform, than he was that it wasn't Hannah. Duke looked uneasy.

Steve's radar well on full alert. "Come in! What's up?"

Duke stopped just inside the door, and then made sure it was closed behind him. He turned to Steve, and took a huge breath, let it out, then pulled in another of normal size. Steve waited, knowing whatever Duke had come to tell him was not going to be good. And he knew, too, that it involved Danny.

"Steve," Duke finally began, having trouble meeting his eyes. "We got into Stan's office late yesterday, and gave it the full. Safe, desk, everything including the plants."

"And you found something?"

" _I_ found something. And I had a bad feeling about it, so I kept it secret until I could see what exactly it was. And last night I got a look at it."

Steve nodded, and could feel the color draining out of him, because he had never seen Duke like this, so unsure, unable to meet his eyes.

The sergeant finally blew out another heavy breath while looking up at the ceiling as he pulled a clear evidence bag from his back pants pocket. Steve saw immediately that it was a phone.

He never knew how he knew what was on that phone, but Steve knew why Duke was acting so uncharacteristically upset and unsure. Steve took the bag handed him and was glad the phone was unable to touch him through the clear bag.

"Where exactly did you find this?"

"Taped to the back of his main desk drawer. Big koa wood thing. I had to get under it and shine the flashlight to see if anything was there, and I saw it, and I got a bad feeling."

Steve nodded. "So you bagged it and didn't tell anyone?"

"That's right. If …." His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat. "I been a cop for a long time, and I never hid evidence before. Not even once. But I can't put this on the record."

"You can't? Or you won't?" asked Steve.

"Both," replied Duke, swallowing, pale as a man getting over a bad stomach virus. "I can't do this to Danny, not when he's just starting to put his life back together. Stan is dead. But with this he can still hurt Danny."

And there was Steve's worry over what was on this phone, confirmed.

"Steve. Don't watch it. Destroy it. I brought it to you so you could be the one to take a hammer to this. Don't watch it."

"Okay, Duke."

Duke nodded once, hesitated, and then turned and let himself out, pulling the door closed softly behind him.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve was holding the evidence bag by one corner. He felt like he was holding a snake by the tail, and it was trying to bite him if it could. This phone was toxic.

His heart was racing. Duke had told him to destroy it, not to look at it. Take a hammer to it. Because it would hurt Danny.

Steve went up to his bathroom, leaving the phone in the baggie on the back of the commode. He used his good hand to splash cold water on his face.

And then he grabbed the baggie, opened it, and, his hand shaking, turned the phone on.

Stan's whisper came to his ears, and he could see by the picture that he was in Danny's house. And he was waiting in a room up the stairs, and Danny was talking to Steve! He could just make out the audio Stan was listening to. It was Danny telling Steve he thought he was still in love with Rachel.

It was the night Stan had drugged them. And Stan was breathing and whispering curse words at Danny, briefly elated when he and Danny drank the drugged water.

Steve listened to Danny and himself succumb to the drug, and the video showed an elated, furious Stan coming down the stairs, watching the two of them lay unconscious where they had fallen. Stan said, clearly, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you! But not before this."

He grabbed Danny by the belt and hauled him up onto the couch, because he had slid to the floor, while Steve was in the chair, eyes closed, arms slack. Stan grabbed him and positioned him as if he were looking at the couch, and kept whispering, "You watch, man. You watch me hurt your boy."

And then Stan pulled off Danny's pants, and did the unthinkable. And Steve threw up, watching and listening, and when Stan swung the phone's camera over to Steve again, he threw up and kept retching until he barely had the strength to smash the phone against the floor, splintering the screen. He smashed it again and again, so it could never be fixed. He killed it. He killed it he killed it he killed it, and then he cleaned up the broken pieces, and threw them in the trash, and took out the trash, and stumbled up the stairs to the bathroom again, where he took a shower.

Shaking.

And then he was sliding down the wall of the shower, water streaming over him, and he cried until the water turned cool and then cold, and still he sobbed. He knew he and Duke were both wishing they could un-see what they had seen. And heard. But they couldn't.

Duke would never tell anyone. Steve was as certain of that as he was that he never would, either. Danny would never know.

Danny would never know.


	59. Chapter 59 The Added Possibility

Chapter 59 "The Added Possibility"

A/N: (3 July 2017) Thank you, everyone who read, reviewed, and are still with me on this rollercoaster!

I know this will seem dark, but the dark will only give way to brighter light later. Angel is back, and that is always a good thing. This chapter follows the consequences of the previous chapter, and as such, must necessarily contain a warning. Please heed this, because you can't euphemize content. I euphemized the wording as much as was possible, but there's some bad things in here.

 **WARNING** : May be too graphic, though I tried not to be. Still, proceed with caution until the italics end.

Chapter 59 "The Added Possibility"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 7:30 a.m.)

 _Danny Williams was combing his signature-backcombed sun-bleached blond hair, and paying absolutely no attention to the habitual action. But he did look in the mirror near the door, okayed his look, and put his comb away in his back pocket. Rachel was coming over to discuss Christmas visitation arrangements, and Steve was on his way over with a report he had forgotten to sign at work. Paperwork, more fun than eating pineapple pizza! If there was pineapple pizza, considering this was Hawaii, why didn't they have a mango sausage pizza? Or something with flowers on it? "Spam hibiscus pizza, yummmmm!" he murmured with a smile. But then he harrumphed at the thought._

 _Rachel was late. Steve was late. Danny peered out the kitchen window for car headlights. He didn't really mind doing paperwork, but he was a little confused how his meticulous style of doing it had allowed him to forget to sign one of the reports. Maybe Steve was using the report as an excuse to get him to finish one of his, and then have a beer, or watch the game, or talk about how they could steal next year's Christmas tree from a protected forest, but this time not get caught! He wouldn't put it past him._

 _Oh! Headlights! About time! He watched a sleek sedan pull into the driveway. Huh. Rachel was borrowing Stan's car again. Oh well, no big deal, even if it made him scowl a bit. He tried to get along with Stan, and they both did a pretty good job of "playing nice", but deep down inside, Danny couldn't stand the guy. First, he was tall. Danny was used to his own stature being the butt of jokes, but it honestly would always bother him that his ex had gone for a tall guy, as if to rub it in that Danny hadn't even been tall enough to please her._

" _Growl."_

 _But then his expressive brows climbed and arched, because it wasn't Rachel that got out of the car. It was the shining tall knight of a guy, who he wanted entering his house about as badly as an army of bugs, or a rabid mongoose, or a spam hibiscus pizza._

 _Stan was carrying a plainly wrapped package. Okay, huh. They did not exchange gifts. If they did, Danny would give him an empty bottle of hair gel, wrapped in clear plastic wrap and sealed with a rubberband. And it would not be an expensive brand of gel, either. Mr. Tall Perfecthair with the car that cost more than he could afford ever in his life …._

 _He sighed and pasted his fake pleasant smile on his face and opened the door before Stan Edwards had to dent a knuckle knocking on Danny's very modest front door with the plastic Merry Christmas holly with berries decoration on it._

" _Hey, Danny," greeted Stan, who came right on in as if he owned the place._

" _Come in," said Danny patiently as the man passed him and headed into the living room, again as if he owned the place. 'Mi casa, su casa is not the case, Buttface,' he thought, and wondered what was up. "Where's Rachel?" he asked out loud._

 _Stan grinned, and slapped his own thigh, then put the package on the coffee table. Danny could not help but notice it had the kind of wrapping labeled 'discreet', with no bow or ribbon, like the box held a sex toy or leather lingerie for Rachel. Definitely not for him. "Oh, man, we forgot entirely to tell you! We're moving to Dubai, and you, sadly, are not."_

 _What the hell was going on? Dubai? Not with Gracie and Charlie, they weren't! He was preparing his bomb comeback when Stan opened the box and pulled out a nasty pair of handcuffs._

 _What?_

 _While Danny was thinking 'What?', Stan leapt at him and flattened him with a punch so hard, he literally saw stars as he fell backwards, stunned into bonelessness. He knew those cuffs, which Stan had used as a brass knuckle, had torn a gouge in his face, probably busted his cheekbone. Wow, Stan had a swing. Danny slid off the couch he had landed on, and felt himself grabbed, his arms pulled behind him, and he felt and heard the cuffs locking on his wrists. Not good! And then he stopped being able to think, because Stan basically beat the crap out of him. Danny, badly battered, vaguely wondered where Steve was, since he was getting the life knocked out of him every second or two, and was unable to fight back as he was tossed or fell this way and that, as each vicious punch landed. He was like clothes in the dryer, with no control over where he was sent or what he crashed into next. He knew bones were broken, lots of bones, never able to keep up with what wasn't broken._

" _Hey, stop." The words came out thickly, slurred, and he knew he was hurt badly, by a guy he had wanted to pulp for years, yet never had. It was as if he were drugged, unable to resist the thorough beating. "Yer gonna kill me," he slurred, vision fuzzy, hearing buzzy, every part of his body screaming._

" _Yes, I am," stated a pristinely dressed Stan, his knuckles not even bloodied, despite all the damage he had inflicted. Danny kept trying to find a way to fight back, and the harder he tried, the less he could do. He was terrified. Danny was way past terrified. "Steve? Help?" The desperate words barely sounded like they were said by a human._

" _Oh, he's not coming. I stopped by the office, lured him out to my car, and shot him. He's dead, in the trunk of the car. Sorry, Danno."_

 _What? No! Steve can't be dead. No nonono no!_

 _Danny was more or less on his back, in a heap on the floor, unable to get up or even move. "Yeah," said Stan. "I think you're just about ready for the finale. I always wanted to do this." And Stan straightened him out, sat on his shattered legs and unbuckled Danny's belt, unzipped his pants, then gave them a yank downward while Danny's vision dimmed with the pain, the fear. "I'm not gonna shoot you in the head, Danny boy. Nope. You have been a pain in my ass for years, and now I pay you back. Yup, you get to be the silencer. Yeah. I'll go in deep and start pulling the trigger, watch you jerk each time I fire. Until you stop. Or I run out of bullets. But first, something else is gonna happen. Bro, you have turned me on! Mm! Bro? This is gonna hurt. I will make sure of that." And Stan laughed with powermad, crazy glee._

 _NO! NO! NOOOO! Fear was the only thing about Danny that was alive. STAN DON'T, NO! He could only think it. His voice was busy screaming with no breath._

 _Stan grabbed him by the shoulders and rolled him over onto his broken, bruised chest. NOOO, he sobbed, except no sound escaped. Please don't do this! Please, Stan, don't do this!_

"Danny? Danny! Hey, wake up, Honey! I think you're having a nightmare!"

Becca. Danny's eyes opened wide and he sat up so quickly, his head spun. It was Becca! He was in his hospital room. He used his good hand to grab the bed rail and steady himself. It had been so vivid! "Hi!" Way too vivid. He still felt the fear, and he swore to God he felt a certain, odd pain. "Uh. Yeah. I had a," he swallowed dryly. "I had, uh, I had a nightmare. Did I, uh, say anything?"

Sometime between last night and right now Becca had changed into her work scrubs. She was wearing a shirt the kids would love, and that he loved: Christmas kittens and puppies. She reached out and with a Kleenex dried the tears he hadn't noticed were streaking down his tense, frightened face. She gave him a long hug. "You said, 'No, don't do this.' Honey, what was the dream? Are you okay?" She let go of him with one hand and used it to pour him a cup of ice water, which she pulled back to hold to his mouth. His hands were shaking. "Here, drink this. I'll hold it. It might make you feel better. Try to relax."

Relax? Not possible. Not after that. Why was he hurting _there_? No, it was a nightmare. He was safe. Stan was dead. He should try, at least try to relax.

"Oh, yeah, uh, thanks, yeah." He took a drink, and held it in his mouth, trying to decide if his stomach would keep it if he swallowed it. He felt queasy. But he went ahead and swallowed, and it felt good. His stomach gave one tentative lurch and settled down somewhat. He was starting to relax. Until he stopped. _What if he did this to Steve, too? We were both helpless. No. No, he had no reason to hurt Steve too. But he tried to kill him. And this wasn't real. But what if it was real? No, it was just a nightmare. I hope_. "Uh, I dreamed that, uh, Stan, uh, he was trying to, uh," _No, I can't tell her that!_ "He was trying to kill me."

"Oh, Honey! Yes, that's a nightmare," said Becca sympathetically, and enveloped him in another hug, rubbing her hand up and down his back. "But he can't ever do that because he's dead, so he can never hurt you again."

"Yup, good ol' dead Stan," sighed Danny, and rubbed his left hand up and down Becca's back, inhaling her scent. He didn't know if it was shampoo, soap, or perfume, but it was light, and something between candy and flowers. "What a waste of a dream! I'd much rather dream about you and all the things we will get to share in our life together." Wow, he sounded so flat, like someone having second thoughts. He wasn't, though. He was now scared to death that Stan had hurt Steve, too. And he realized with that thought that he was sure Stan had hurt him. They had no proof, but he felt it. It was the kind of thing Stan would do. _Did Rachel know? No, she would have thrown that at me yesterday. She didn't know_.

Hannah gave him an intuitive look. "Sweetie, you can tell me if you are, but are you having second thoughts?"

"No. Next to my kids, you are the best person that ever came into my life. I'm just … rattled by the nightmare. He may be dead, but he did try." _Oh the things I'm not saying,_ he thought, and pulled Becca back into another hug. "I can't lose you. I love you," he whispered, and it was true. Someday he would tell her what he feared Stan had done to him. But not yet.

H50 H50 H50 H50

It was shift change, and Becca had to go to work, but she stayed with Danny until the very last minute before she would be late. He shoved the nightmare into a compartment in his mind, and slammed the door shut. He would examine it later.

They talked about his progress, which was clearly shown by better readouts on the monitors, and he was feeling better, too, once he pushed the nightmare out of his thoughts. His stomach had settled down. "Dad will be by in a couple hours, and I know he will be pleased," said Becca, warmly. She had a soothing effect on his nerves. "He'll bring in Angel. She misses you terribly! She had a bit of a restless night, too. She misses her human."

"Awww, I miss my Angel!" He wished she had been with him to interrupt his nightmare. No, he was not going to think about that right now.

"And Hannah is bringing Steve in. I think we should start calling you two 'twins'." Becca giggled. "We used to wonder if we would marry brothers, or twins, and I think we are!"

"Just remember, I'm four hours older than the Neanderthal."

"Oh! Well, I'm four minutes older than Hannah."

"So we're into the fours!" grinned Danny.

"May the Fours be with us!" giggled Becca, and Danny laughed again. "Wow, we could have that on our wedding cake, if we pick that date!"

"Booked," sighed Becca, dramatically. "All the Star Wars fans have that date booked all over the islands. 2018, too." She blushed and admitted that she had checked.

And then the breakfast trays were brought in, and Becca gave him a kiss and said she would be by at lunch, whenever she could take it. "I love you, Danny," she said at the door, and blew him another kiss, which he caught with his left hand. "I love you more," he said, and she shook her head. "Not possible." They gazed at each other for a few loving seconds before Becca finally, reluctantly, left to begin her work day.

He dozed after breakfast, and went right back into the same nightmare, but jolted himself out of it. He decided morning talk shows were preferable to sleep. He wondered what was keeping Angel, Dr. Cornett, and Steve.

It was Hannah who provided him with his kitten and the information on the whereabouts of the others. He greeted her, and absolutely delighted to have Angel back with him, and while she made purring, rumble-meowing kitten love to his face, Hannah explained that Steve had forgotten the waterproof sleeve over his cast this morning in the shower, and his cast was toast. He was in with her dad, getting a new one. Danny tensed again. What had made Steve forget to take care of his cast? Something was up.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve had pulled the phone remnants out of the trash and literally taken a hammer to them, to pulverize the thing. It had to be utterly destroyed. Only then could he cope with the existence, or former existence, of that video. He'd gotten dressed while still freezing from his emotional shower, and was using his sling more heavily than usual because he had ruined his cast in the shower.

Hannah had called and asked him if he needed a ride in to Tripler, and he had accepted gladly. When Hannah arrived, Steve explained his red nose and eyes and anything else that was wrong with him as being the beginnings of a headcold, and how it had struck him that he was really going to be part of a whole family after they married, and it was making him need the carry Kleenex even more than the beginnings of a cold.

She hugged him and kissed him and discovered his cast was wet through. "Oh no! Well, Dad can fix that right up." She was on the phone to her father before Steve could even finish thinking that it was serendipity that he had forgotten the waterproof sleeve. He had had just enough time to think about things, and the first thing he had thought, after "I can't tell Danny this," was that he did have to talk to Dr. C. Danny needed to be tested for everything under the sun, and have his doctor looking out for him. And if they could find out if Stan had been tested for diseases, and Rachel, that would help too.

"Stiff?" asked Hannah, curiously, as they drove to Trippler. "You sure are distracted."

Danny always said Steve was an open book, moreso even than he was. And Steve had to agree, reluctantly, if only to himself, that Danny was right. The only way he was going to be able to keep this secret from his partner was if he put on the best acting job he had ever managed, and kept at it. He realized that there might come a time when he did have to tell Danny, because who knew what the future would hold, especially if Stan had given Danny a disease. But that time was not now. Not when he was doing so much better, and about to present Becca with her engagement ring. Not when he literally had bags of well wishes to go through, and difficulties to wade through as he worked with his lawyer and found a new home and took care of his children.

Which meant Steve could not tell Hannah, or let on that he was upset. He opened his face to a smile that brightened his eyes, and winked at her. "I am distracted, by this beautiful woman who I have plans for come … soon … when we make our engagement even more official, and I can still look your dad in the eyes."

"Ahhhh, I see," said Hannah, winking back. "You have a plan in the works. Hmm, plans are good. I like plans."

As soon as they arrived at Tripler, they went to Dr. Cornett's office, and after father and daughter gave each other a warm hug and kiss, Steve explained about the wet, ruined cast, so Hannah took Angel to see Danny. "I'll keep him company until you get there, Steve."

H50 H50 H50 H50

No sooner had Hannah disappeared with Angel than Steve leaned against Dr. Cornett's door and burst again into tears. It didn't last long, but that it had happened at all alerted the sensitive doctor that something was very wrong. He had learned a long time ago not to leap to conclusions, so he waited with his hand on Steve's shoulder, finally wrapping him in a fatherly hug. He had a feeling it had something to do with why Steve's arm would be pruney under the wrapping when he cut the plaster off before putting on the new cast.

Steve said, when he was most of the way to being under control again. "I've seen the proof. Stan had a secret phone. Stan … did what we feared. He hurt Danny."

"Stan did…?" Dr. Cornett's brows went up and down and scrunched, until his eyes widened briefly in horror. His voice was not much above a sad whisper. "Oh. Oh. Well, damn him." He picked up a clear acrylic paperweight on his desk and smashed it down hard. It sounded like a gunshot.

Which brought security, and Dr. Cornett explained that he had dropped his paperweight, he was fine, everything was fine, no cause for alarm. Security left and he went back to feeling horrified, destroyed, and hampered by an inability to express it.

Steve sat across from Hannah's father. He watched him sit down, take in an eternal breath, then a short, huffy one, lean on his desk with his fist in front of his mouth, while his jaw muscles tensed more and more and veins in his neck took on increasing definition. Dr. Cornett suddenly swiveled his chair so his back was to Steve as he grabbed tissues from the box and let out an abbreviated sob. His shoulders shook, and Steve felt the pain in the man who was trying to pull himself together even as his emotions fell apart. He finally rounded the desk and knelt down and gave the doc the same huge hug he had received. "I destroyed the phone. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna help him."

"Yes," Dr. Cornett almost said, his voice destroyed.

"He doesn't have to know. He might never need to know."

Dr. Cornett choked on a sob, then. Steve knew he cared about Danny, but now he saw how much. They shared this bond.

"Lock my door." Steve had to decipher the sounds into words that made sense. He locked the door, and the two men shared their love of a police detective from New Jersey, while between them they emptied a box of tissues. They both cried, holding on to one another, until their heads thought they would explode and their noses and eyes felt the sizes and color of angry red tomatoes.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Luckily, Dr. Cornett had ways to mostly de-red their faces, and now that they both had head colds (or looked and sounded like it), they would just use that as their excuse for headaches, hysterical sinuses, and occasionally watery eyes. Sharing their emotions had done both men a lot of good, although they were both feeling like they had to win academy awards for the next few days to keep Danny from guessing that they were keeping something from him. Luckily, there were enough distractions to keep Danny from realizing they were winning academy awards for his benefit.

They planned strategy together. "I already tested Danny for, uh, physical damage, and found nothing of note," said Dr. Cornett, as he worked on Steve's new cast. They had had to wait awhile to begin working on it until the pruney skin of Steve's arm had dried enough not to risk a fungal or some other type of infection.

"And diseases?" asked Steve.

"Ran the full panel, but now that we, uh." Neither man could say the words yet. "Since Stan traveled a lot, there are a few more very rare things I can test for. I'll do that today. I'll call Max and have him check Stan too. His eyebrows may do interesting things at the request, but he's discreet, and if he suspects anything, he'll keep it to himself."

"What about checking Rachel?"

"Excellent idea. Inmates are routinely screened for everything, so they may already have done that."

"The kids?"

Dr. Cornett paused in working a water resistant, breathable wrap around Steve's arm, covering the technicolor bruising where the actual break in the arm had occurred. "I'll pull their charts and see if Charlie was tested before he had the bone marrow transplant. Come to think of it, Danny would have been tested before donating to his son, but probably not for the very rare things. Hm. I will pull Grace's chart and do some research. I don't think she needs testing. It would be awfully hard to explain."

Steve nodded. He was feeling physically and emotionally worn out. He honestly felt just like he did on those rare occasions when he had come down sick. He was sick, but not from a virus or germ.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Eventually both men made it to Danny's room, where Angel had taken up an interesting perch. She was all tucked up like a sphinx with without the outward forelegs, on the blanket over Danny's … junk. Danny was looking sober. "She's guarding my stuff," said Danny, before he said hi, since they hadn't said, "Hi," either, being startled by Angel's positioning. "Hannah went down to the cafeteria for something to eat, so she will be another little while, since you just missed her."

Steve had wondered. But he also wondered about Angel. "Ummm," said Steve. "Why is she guarding, you know, that?"

"I had a nightmare and she figured it out." He looked up a Steve, briefly, and then Dr. Cornett, and then fixated again on Angel, who was purring. He added, "It was about Stan, and he was … I think he did. I think he did, and Angel is protecting me now, and I know there's no proof, but I think he did."

Steve and Dr. Cornett exchanged glances. Dr. Cornett was the one to speak up. "We I mean I tested you, uh, but we I mean I can test again, more thoroughly?"

"Yes, that would be good. Was Steve tested, too?"

Steve stiffened. "Why would I need to be tested for that?"

Danny sighed, and one tear traced down his face. "Because Stan was a depraved son of a bitch, and we were both helpless, and have no proof he did, or didn't. For your health, you should be checked."

Steve sat down in a plastic chair, and felt his whole world turn upside down. He didn't know. He had destroyed the phone before he watched the whole thing. He had a feeling Duke had, too.

Danny started to cry, and whispered, "I'm so sorry," as Angel moved up to his face and tried to comfort him.


	60. Chapter 60 The Blender On Puree

**Chapter 60** "The Blender On Puree"

 **A/N:** (6 July 2017) The reviews have been amazing, more or less reflecting a lot of thoughts I'm having about the zig the story has taken. You are amazing readers, and you don't miss much! You truly care about these characters, and this isn't just a story to a lot of us! Thank you so very very much! I hope I didn't miss thanking anyone personally. If I did, I apologize! The site here had a hiccup and a few things went awry or were duplicated, and Muse had her skillet to my cranium, making me write chapter. I wish to thank guest reviewers too, and those who have recently followed! Thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness, and I'm so grateful for how deeply you care!

Ponderable: Is there much difference in effect between Muse and her skillet, and Fate and her lead pipe? One is good (Muse) and one is bad (Fate), but both aim at the noggin.

Another **WARNING due to subject matter.**

 **Chapter 60** "The Blender On Puree"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, noon)

Dr. Cornett offered to do blood tests on both Danny and Steve, checking for everything including "strange and unliklies" to be on the safe side.

Danny nodded, petting Angel while his mind was on the nightmare he had had, and the in some ways worse worry that Stan might have done something horrible to Steve, his best friend, his brother in every way that mattered. And now he couldn't look him in the eyes, so deep was his feeling of guilt and regret. "Stan traveled a lot. I'm so sorry. I've had longer to wrap my head around … this. It has to be a shock for you, Steve." Steve couldn't look at him, either. So Danny just looked at Angel.

Therefore, he missed the worry on Dr. Cornett's face, the furrowed brows on Steve's.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Steve was tense, sitting in the plastic chair, his thoughts whirring like a blender set on puree. Only minutes before, he and the doc had been earnestly talking over what they both needed to do to see to it Danny was tested for everything, and they gave him their full emotional support, without telling Danny they now knew Stan Edwards had … Steve couldn't even skirt what the man had done to Danny. Mo's phone had shown that Stan had touched him entirely inappropriately. Technically, they could have charged Stan with rape. Steve had been hiding behind the euphemism, molestation, which was plenty bad enough, and his heart went out to Danny, having to deal with that degree of physical violation.

But he couldn't play word games anymore, downplay what had happened with a euphemism. Stan had raped an unconscious, helplessly drugged Danny. He had to use the word, now. He knew. He had seen that wretched video on Stan's phone, hidden so he could watch it in secret, enjoy it in private, delight in reliving what he had done, how he had felt emotionally and physically while he did what he did.

Steve wondered how many times Stan had replayed the video, and how many more times he would have replayed it had they not realized Stan was the one who had tried to murder Danny, himself, and had murdered Neil Lane, Mo Morris, and Jason Black. Three dead, two more supposed to be dead. And a kitten.

Thank God Duke had found that phone, hidden well. Now they knew what Stan had done to Danny. And Steve had been fully prepared to go to any lengths to help his friend, his brother. He had thought he had a good grasp on what Danny was going through.

Now, he knew he didn't. He was wondering how to get his own mind around the possibility the same kind of violation had happened to him. If he had watched the whole video, he might know. But he had turned the phone into bits of scrap before the video had fully played. And Danny, on the basis of a vivid nightmare and his own detective's intuition, and likely knowing his body, and what felt true and what merely felt possible, had realized his dream was his brain's way of telling him that Stan had raped him. And had realized that Stan may very well have done the same thing to Steve.

The thought had never crossed Steve's mind. Had Stan raped him? It was harder to think the word when it applied to him, which brought guilt to Steve, as if he were feeling it was somehow different, somehow worse if it had happened to him than to Danny. Which wasn't true, and Steve knew it, in his head and his heart. But the very thought of Stan doing that to him -! Steve's emotions had nowhere to go with this possibility. He didn't think it had happened, he _hoped_ it hadn't happened. He didn't feel like it had happened. But would he know, drugged like that, unaware, his body relaxed? Would he know? How would he know? How would he know that Stan hadn't? How would he know that Stan had?

It would be so easy to just decide it hadn't happened, even though Stan had the opportunity. But did he hate Steve enough? He hated Danny enough, but the dynamic was different between those two. He was just Danny's friend … Danny's unconscious, drugged friend, who he planned to murder. Who he had carefully positioned so that, had he been conscious, he would have watched Stan. "Watch me hurt your boy."

It was possible. And if he hadn't reacted with such horror and revulsion to what Stan had done to Danny, if he had seen the whole tape, he would probably know and not be sitting here, with his thoughts on puree, trying to figure out how to get a grasp on whether or not there was a way to know!

Wait. Wait! Duke! He needed to call Duke, ask him what he had seen. He hadn't been able to look him in the eyes. Was that the clue? Had Duke seen …? He would call Duke. And then he would know! It was so simple! The only difficulty was that Duke's body language indicated that Danny's caring suspicions might be right. Danny would worry about him more deeply than he would worry about himself. It was how he coped with … Danny worried about himself, but he worried about others more.

Besides, as sure as Danny was, he had to have that tiny little room for doubt. He might be 99% sure, but that 1% of doubt would become more and more important as he went on the journey of coping. When it came to this, there was a huge difference between 99% and 100%. Danny didn't know absolutely. He could doubt. Steve knew Danny had been raped, and he intended to keep that from Danny, to allow him that doubt. He did not want Danny to have to deal with 100% certainty.

But now Steve was in that same boat. He was … he didn't know what percentages he had between doubt and certainty. He couldn't say he was certain at all. But he'd only had minutes to think about it.

He was a little afraid to call Duke. Steve swallowed, and his mouth and throat were dry. If Duke said, "Yes, you were," how would he feel?

Steve's brows were furrowed so much, his forehead was starting to hurt. He didn't think that bode well for bad news from Duke. He was suddenly very nervous, a feeling he had long ago learned to disown. The problem was, no matter how much training he had been given by the Navy SEALS, to withstand torture and this and that, it was simulated as much as possible. He had been taught how to withstand rape, but he had never been raped.

That he knew of for sure.

He shut his thoughts down. He could think in circles about this, but the only way out was to know, and help Danny maintain that percentage of doubt. He would take a page out of Danny's book: he would help Danny maintain some doubt. It would help him. And the part that wasn't doubt, he would help him cope. He wouldn't think about his own … uncertainty.

Steve patted Danny's arm, and muttered that he needed the bathroom. He didn't see the crushed look on Danny's face, Angel's flattened ears, Dr. Cornett seeing everything. Steve had to call Duke right now, this instant. So he locked himself in, ran the fan, ran the water, and called Duke. And instead of, "Hi," he said, "How much of that video did you see?"

Duke said, "I knew you would watch it. I hoped you wouldn't, but I knew you would. I only made it to when Stan, you know, Danny, and then I couldn't watch another second and was sick for awhile. Didn't sleep a wink, brought you the phone early so I wouldn't have to try not to destroy it, since it's a lot more serious if I destroyed it than if you did."

"So you didn't watch through to the end." Steve managed to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"No. I'd seen enough. Too much. How's Danny?"

"He's coping. We're not telling him about that phone."

"Okay, Steve. I wouldn't be able to, anyway. I'm praying for selective amnesia."

"Me too," Steve said, heartily. "Danny had a nightmare about Stan last night. I hope he gets selective amnesia, too."

"I heard about you and Danny's psychic connection when he was in the box," spoke Duke, as if it were common knowledge, and for the first time, Steve realized it probably was. "Maybe he had the nightmare because you looked at the phone."

Steve almost dropped his phone. Had he caused Danny's nightmare, and resulting certainty that Stan had … because Steve had seen the video on Stan's phone?

They talked briefly for another couple minutes, and then Steve stared at the door, his face, his phone, and finally the door again. He may have caused Danny to dream about the … mess … and Steve still didn't know, and likely wouldn't until and unless tests showed yes (which was bad) that he and Danny had both been ….

He was back to not being able to think the word. Steve had no idea how to cope with this. This was one of the few times in his life that he just wanted to run somewhere and hide. He wished he could turn the page, and it would say, "And then he woke up, and lived happily ever after."

But he could not do that, because this was real, the blender was still set on puree, and he felt guilty and afraid. He had to help Danny navigate this rutty road, with no map, no clue how to do it, while he himself needed help.

"Dear God, help," he prayed in a whisper, unaware that he had.


	61. Chapter 61 And God Was Listening

**Chapter 61** "And God Was Listening"

 **A/N:** (7/7/2017) Oh wow, I am so grateful for your reviews. Yes, it was a very dark chapter. So many of you had emotional, deeply caring thoughts about it. If I had as many friends as Danny does (and Steve!), I would be One Lucky Lady! But I have you as readers and reviewers, so I *am* One Lucky Lady! I'm sorry I haven't thanked each of you individually, but literally I have been writing this chapter all day!

Hopefully, this chapter will begin to show a brightening of the horizon. We have some stuff to still work through, but the reward will be there. Because it has to be!

CBS owns all things H5-0.

 **Chapter 61** "And God Was Listening"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 1 p.m.)

"He hates me now," Danny said flatly to his blanket as Steve disappeared into the hospital room's bathroom. "He can't look at me. He hates me. I don't bl -"

"He doesn't, Danny," interrupted Dr. Cornett, his voice sad, compassionate, and trying to sound reasonable. "He needs to cope, he just needs a minute to get his brain to take all this in." He himself wondered if Steve might be calling Duke. But he couldn't say anything about that to Danny.

After some long seconds of silence, Danny whispered, "Maybe."

Dr. Cornett whipped out his own phone and quickly called Hannah and told her not to return to Danny's room just yet. "Something has come up, there's no time to explain now, but you don't have to worry, and I will let you know when you can come back. I'm certain you don't have to worry, just, uh, they need to talk. Guy stuff. Plans." He called Becca, who was just about to take her lunch break, and told her the same thing. "Hannah is down in the cafeteria, why don't you two meet up and talk girl stuff? Weddings, dresses, all that kind of thing. Seriously, they just need to do some guy stuff!"

Danny was petting Angel while the fan and water ran in his bathroom. He didn't comment on the doc's phone calls. Angel was holding his face and licking his chin when they heard the sounds of someone about to leave the bathroom. Danny kept his eyes downcast.

Steve looked at Danny, felt a pang of regret and self-recrimination in his heart, and glanced quickly at Dr. Cornett, giving him a subtle, worried shake of his head. "Um, sorry. I just needed a minute. Sorry." He returned to the chair by Danny's bedside, and Steve hesitantly reached over to cover Danny's cast with his good hand. Steve intoned flatly, "It's not your fault. It's all on Stan. How were we to know that such a sicko was in our midst, hidden in plain sight?"

"And Rachel," whispered Danny, crying very quietly, while Angel gently pawed away his tears. "She was hiding, too. I'm so stupid," he said, the latter self-accusation said with more vigor. "How could I be so stupid, all these years? I failed you, Steve. I don't blame you if you hate me now. I'll quit Five-0 if you can't stand the sight of me."

Steve started to cry silently, again. "No! No. Danny…" he protested, grabbing tissues again. He shoved the box at Danny, and Angel picked some out with her teeth and deposited them on his chin, and gave Steve's unsteady hand a brief Kitten Facerub of Love, which sped up the rate of Steve's own tears. "Hate you? How is it even remotely possible that you could even begin to think I could hate you? You're my brother! How could I hate you for even the smallest part of time, like a quintillionth of a bazzillionth of a second? Don't even think it. And don't you dare quit Five-0! I c-c-can't do this job without you! I love you!"

Dr. Cornett discreetly snuck some tissues. He also called the lab and the pharmacy.

"I got you drugged unconscious, and nearly killed because I didn't have a clue that my ex-wife and her husband hated me this much," said Danny, and his control was lost. Emotionally, he was hating himself enough that Steve didn't need to for him to feel like he had made such a mess of things. "He almost killed you! If he … did the other thing, you can't possibly still like me or even bear to have me in your sight."

Steve blew his nose while crying.

Danny blew his nose while crying.

Dr. Cornett blew his nose while crying.

Steve pulled his chair closer to Danny's bed and moved his hand to Danny's shoulder. " _I_ failed _you_! You should hate _me_! And I think I get to decide who I can have in my sight. I'm so sorry I failed you, Danny. I'm so sorry I didn't protect you from Stan. I should have sensed something amiss. I can't forgive myself this time. I know you really _do_ hate me now."

Danny's breath hitched as he cupped his hand behind Steve's neck and drew his forehead to touch his, while Angel put a paw on each of their faces as their tears streamed, neither now having a free hand to wipe them away. She did her best to keep wiping them away with her paws. "Steve, I could never hate you, you know that, you boob. You are my brother! Stan hurt you! Who knows how badly? And you can't protect me from a, a, a -"

"Sicko," said Dr. Cornett, his voice wobbly as he silently went to the door, and accepted the tray the nurse had brought him from the lab.

Danny grabbed onto the word. "Sicko! You can't protect me from a sicko you don't have any reason to think is I mean was one! Please don't be mad at yourself. I can't handle it if you hate yourself because you think you failed me when I'm the one who failed you."

So they not-so-quietly held on to one another as their sinuses went hysterical, their tears beat Angel's best attempts to keep up, and they did not notice when Dr. Cornett rubbed Steve's shoulder, above his new cast, with alcohol and then gave him an injection after already inserting a similar injection into Danny's IV line.

"Neither of you failed the other," said Dr. Cornett, once he had disposed of the syringes. He had gotten himself under control, but his voice was nasal and his head was pounding. He blew his nose again after he slipped off his blue non-latex gloves, then out of habit used a pump of the hand sanitizer in every hospital room.

He watched as the two dear friends slowly stopped crying, but kept their foreheads touching, their hands cupping the backs of each other's necks. Danny sniffled. "You don't hate me?"

"Never could," sniffled Steve in reply. "You don't hate me?"

"Not possible. But we can hate Stan."

"Yes, we can do that."

"What if Rachel knows?" asked Steve, and finally noticed that Angel was working hard to dry his and Danny's faces, using her tongue now since her paws were all wet.

Danny sniffed and swallowed, grimacing as his head pounded from his stuffed sinuses. "I don't think she does; she didn't throw it in my face yesterday, and she would have. Oh, my head."

"Yeah," agreed Steve. "She would have. Stan kept secrets. Speaking of which, did Dr. C just give me a shot?" He and Danny unclasped and leaned back, turning with reddened eyes to look up at their doctor.

"An antihistamine for the sinuses, and here are the Tylenol for the headaches," said Dr. Cornett, having poured icewater in two paper cups and retrieved the analgesic from the bottle in the cabinet in Danny's room. He had already taken 2 for his own headache. "Crying is very healing, but it does have side-effects. Do you want one or two tablets?"

"Two," they responded in unison.

After they had taken their medication and handed their empty paper drinking cups back to Dr. Cornett, he asked them if they were ready for him to draw the blood to have tested for anything under the sun that Stan might or might not have exposed them to. When they nodded, Dr. Cornett began with Steve and ended with Danny, drawing four medium phails of blood from each, capped tightly and labeled. A nurse came in, with two tablets of paperwork and incongruously sealed cups of orange juice and unsealed chocolate chip cookies, and the doctor handed her the holder with the clearly marked phials in it. He checked so many boxes on each lab slip, and wrote in some tests not on the papers, before looking them over and sending them off with the nurse. "The lab is expecting those yesterday."

Steve and Danny were ordered to drink the orange juice and eat the cookies, and to try to take a nap. Dr. Cornett had already ordered a cot for Steve to be brought into Danny's room, since he would not want to leave it, and Danny would not want him to leave either. Once the orderly brought that in, with pillow and blanket, they cooperated and at least tried to rest.

When Angel had finally finished to her satisfaction the licking dry of her front paws, she peered over the side of the bed at Steve curled up on his cot, then pulled Danny's blanket over him using her little teeth, because for some strange reason, humans only covered when they slept, then (feeling her own exhaustion) picked Danny's blanket-draped six-pack to tuck up properly on, and fell almost instantly into slumber.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Halfway across Honolulu, the mail truck pulled up in front of a non-descript building, the ground floor of which had once housed a small, failed insurance firm. It now was the home of Grover Consulting, which was not exactly doing a booming business.

The mail carrier, a thin, small man of mixed races, who had been working this same route for twenty years almost to the day, prepared the stack of big and small envelopes to take into the building. Many of them were advertisements and flyers. But one large yellow manila envelope with a padded liner caught his eye, because written in old-fashioned Palmer script in a feminine handwriting was the word, "Misdelivered". The mail carrier grinned. The 22nd was the day his alternate ran the route. He could even tell that the handwriting of the "Misdelivered" notice was the work of Mrs. Wong, who ran her own quilting shop, Quilts Galore & More, two blocks east and one north.

He frowned at the mess on the envelope. It looked as if it had been run over by a truck, but he knew the black marks were just grease and excess ink on some of the machines at the Post Office. It was addressed by hand, black medium Sharpie. It had two mailing stamps on it, one from the 22nd of the month, and the other bearing yesterday's date. Well, at least it was reaching the right address this time!

The owner, a big black man with a smile to light a room, and a frown to make one think of a dark winter night in Alaska, came to meet the mailman at the door, the meeting happening because the owner, Mr. Lou Grover, needed to take a stretch, and maybe would go up to the top of the block and have a sandwich from the little diner that brought in a steady income from feeding all those who worked in the shops and offices in the area. He greeted the carrier and took the stack handed him, and was drawn instantly to the messed up manila envelope.

After wishing each other a Happy New Year's Eve, which was tomorrow, a Saturday on which Lou would not be working, they parted and Lou took his mail back into his office, lunch for now forgotten. He looked at everything else first, tossed the fliers and ads into the waste bin, and looked again at the misdelivered manila envelope.

Addressed in block capital letters that seemed masculine to him, Lou studied the writing until he finally decided his curiosity had the better of him and he slit open the top with a hefty letter opener that looked official and uninteresting.

Out slid a tri-folded slip of ordinary white typing paper, bearing the crumple marks of what was inside it: a computer thumb drive in a little Ziploc baggie.

Odd.

Lou carefully, using the letter opener, his retired policeman's instincts kicking into high gear, unfolded the paper and read, "You hate Danny's guts, too. Enjoy." It was signed, in what Lou considered one of the stupidest moves any man could possibly make, "Stan Edwards" with a smiley face in blue ink. There was a post script, "Let's do lunch someday. You could really help me out, and perhaps I could help you in return."

Lou returned everything to the manila envelope, slipped it all inside a voluminous plastic bag from the latest time he had picked up his shirts at the dry cleaner, and with his face looking like a very cold winter night in Alaska, set out in his truck for Tripler, after calling and being told that Danny Williams was still there, and therefore Steve would be with him or close by.


	62. Chapter 62 The Abominable Help

**Chapter 61** "The Abominable Help"

 **A/N:** (10 July 2017) *HUGS* everyone! You have all been so supportive, riding this crazy coaster which this story is! I am grateful! I didn't write thank emails on the 8th, or anything, since it is the anniversary of when my mom died, and thus a difficult day, so I waited. And then we are back on the coaster, but I do thank you all so much! I love that you love Dr. Cornett, and Angel!

Chapter 51 "Doing Better" is the one that re-introduced Lou into this story.

TiaReh, yes you are my friend! And I am your friend! Happy belated birthday! I can and do call many of you friends. 😊

I like this momentum, and will do my best to keep it up, tho this is a lot of chapters in a short time.

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 61** "The Abominable Help"

 _[What is a lie? A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, and an ever-present help in times of trouble.]_

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 2 p.m.)

Dr. Cornett was sitting at his office desk, rubbing his sore temples, feeling for all the world like he had a bad head cold. All that crying! He just hoped Danny and Steve had finished that part of their complicated, emotional day, because he had been crying right along with them, and he had to be prepared to meet any emergency that might come up until he could clock out and escape, which meant today he would be sticking around off the clock, in case Danny's test results came in. He had been expecting the results for over a day, that would tell him if any unusually harmful bacteria or viruses had infected the man's burned thumb, setting him up for sepsis.

Even with the rollercoaster of emotions the past few days, Danny was steadily improving, and his doctor had high hopes that his patient would dodge any more complications. If the reports came back as he hoped, he could go home.

Except that Danny didn't have a home right now. It had been destroyed in an arson explosion.

Dr. Cornett smiled a watery smile then. He knew Steve would invite Danny to stay with him. Danny's kids could share the spare room, Danny was well acquainted with the couch, and Angel ….

He didn't know if Steve's house was kitten-proof; he had never been there. He glanced at his clock. Steve would be waking up in another half hour or so, thanks to the tiny sedative he had slipped him which had him resting peacefully in Danny's room, along with the slightly more sedated patient whose kitten was standing guard over him.

There was a knock on the doctor's door, and it was the lab reports he was expecting. He tore open the envelope and looked them over. YESSSS! No sepsis showing at all, and all the other worries about Danny's thumb and injuries evaporated. Some good news!

The phone rang while he was doing a silent happy dance. It was the nurse's station nearest Danny's room. He swooped on the phone. "Yes, Janice?" He listened closely, his sore brows doing their best to not knit a sweater. In a clipped voice, he said, "Send that reporter away this instant, and keep Mr. Grover out of sight! I'll be right there. Don't wake Danny!"

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Dr. Cornett practically bi-located to the nurse's station, delighted to see the slim, female reporter disguised not quite properly as a nurse being escorted to the elevator, complaining, being shushed. She didn't know it, but she had come within two rooms of Danny's.

Janice produced Lou Grover from the coffee room the nurses used. "Hello," Cornett said, offering his hand. "It's good to see you again. You asked to see me?"

Lou Grover was happy to see the doctor and soon-to-be father-in-law of his former co-workers. He was trying to do this whole thing right, holding the jury-rigged evidence bag tightly in both hands. He switched it to his left hand so he could shake Dr. Cornett's hand. "Yes, Doctor, I did. I'm not exactly sure what to do. I have what I believe is evidence against Stan Edwards here, but I looked in and saw that Steve and Danny were sleeping, and I don't want to disturb Danny, since I got a bad feeling about this. But Steve needs to see this as soon as possible. Say, do you have a cold? Your voice is a bit, you know, nasal."

"No, I've been …," he started to say, distractedly, before halting and saying firmly, "Yes. Yes. I have a head cold. So does Steve. So does Danny. It is going around." He changed the subject back. "Lou, er, what is this evidence?" he asked, unable to see what was in the flimsy bag wrapped around something thin and the color of mustard.

Lou hesitated. "I'm not sure I should say, uh, you know, since I'm not on the task force or the police force anymore."

The doctor nodded. "Of course. Right. Um, let me go see if Steve is waking up. Uh, just hold right here for a second."

Steve was on the verge of waking up, and Angel meowed welcomingly at Dr. Cornett as he slipped past Danny's bed after checking the readouts. He gave the kitten a pat and touched Steve lightly on his arm, awakening him the rest of the way. With a finger to his lips, he shushed Steve and then beckoned him to follow him out into the hall.

Steve nodded, untangled himself from the blanket, and gazed for a few intense seconds at Danny, still peacefully sleeping with his kitten curling and uncurling her little white front paws before rolling onto her back and making herself as long as it was possible for a small kitten to become as she stretched out across his stomach. Steve made an "Awwww!" sound which Dr. Cornett had been about to make, before both whipped out phones and took a picture of Angel in relaxed glory atop her sleeping human.

Once in the hall, Steve immediately saw Lou and they too shook hands. "Good to see you! Danny's sleeping, but he'd be –"

Lou, of an equal height with Dr. Cornett, but weightier, shook his head quickly. He proffered the 'evidence bagged' manila envelope. "No, don't disturb him. Steve, I got this in the mail about 1 o'clock today, and brought it right over. I didn't touch the paper, or the thumb drive. Steve, it's from Stan Edwards, and it's gotta be evidence. I figured you would want to be the one to take it to the lab and give it the works. The envelope may not prove useful, but the contents inside should."

Steve slipped over to the nurses station and grabbed some blue gloves from the box on the desk, then unwrapped the dry cleaning bag from around the manila envelope. "Misdelivered on the 22nd. Hm." He felt the envelope, and could just feel the outline of the thumb drive. He felt his stomach surge and drop at the same time. If this held a copy of what Steve had destroyed on Stan's phone -!

"Lou, excuse me." He turned to Dr. Cornett. "Danny shouldn't be alone, and you are the only other person who knows … uh, that, uh," he ground to a halt. But the doc picked up right away, and saved him any explanation. "I'll sit with him. Besides, I've got some good news for him anyway. He doesn't have sepsis. He's going to be just fine. He can go home tonight if he feels ready."

Steve jumped at the doctor and gave him a hug, smiling his megawatt smile.

"Oh, that's excellent news! Except for his cold, poor guy," said Lou, making the lights look dim beside his own smile.

"Cold?" Steve looked confused. Then his eyes widened and he expression turned exceptionally earnest. He nodded vigorously, stepping hastily back from the doctor. "He does have a head cold. Poor guy. And so do I! So do _we!_ " he corrected, pointing at the doc. "We got them today."

"Well, don't give it to me," said Grover, his eyes acting like Steve and the doctor were a tennis match in very active play, while they did their best innocent acts, until Lou shrugged and pointed meaningfully to the re-bagged manila envelope. "Do you need a lift to the lab?"

In something between excitement and dread, Steve answered, "Yes, thanks! Uh. Let me call Duke and have him meet us there, and he can also take your official statement, though I'd like to ask you about this while we drive over." He turned back to the doctor. "When Danny wakes up, and you give him the news about his tests, but not about this thing here," he said, pointing to the envelope, "tell him he's going to be staying with me. Him, the kids, the kitten, the works. If he objects, tell him Hannah and I need a chaperon."

Dr. Cornett laughed approvingly.

Danny stuck his sleepy head out the door of the room and asked what he'd missed. Steve gave him a gentle hug, and improvised. "Doc C will tell you! Uh! Lou and I have to go and kittenproof my house! He's going to help me."

"Oh, hi, Lou!" Danny was holding Angel. Angel leaned her nose out to sniff Lou's proffered hand, and she gave him her Headrub of Love, which turned Lou into mush. "She is the sweetest kitten in the whole world!"

"Right, Lou? Kittenproofing?" said Steve, smiling like his cheeks were starting to hurt. He was holding the wrapped envelope behind his back, so Danny wouldn't see it or his blue gloves.

Lou said in his best car salesman voice, "Why, yes, Steve, I am."

"I'll be back soon, Danny!"

"K," said Danny, groggy, giving Angel a Danny Headrub of Love. "Good to see you again, Lou. Give my love to Renee and the kids, and come visit me next time." He turned and shuffled into his room, while saying to Dr. Cornett, "That antihistamine sure made me sleepy."

"Did it? Hey, are you hungry, because I sure am," said the doctor as Steve and Lou snuck over to the elevator.


	63. Chapter 63 Flare

**Chapter 63** "Flare"

 **A/N:** (12 July 2017) You are so caring and thoughtful with your reviews, I owe you all replies, and I've instead been shanghaied by this story which is intent upon driving us all insane. I'm right with you there! This chapter caught me by surprise. I thank you and love you all, I just can't *tell* you like I want to until this thing's grip loosens a bit.

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 63** "Flare"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 2:30 p.m.)

Danny Williams had just had the cast removed from his hand, and was studying his forever scarred right thumb. Dr. Cornett had told him that he was not on the verge of sepsis. He could go home that night. To Steve's. He was healing.

He was healing. Physically. But he could not help but feel sick that Stan had ever touched him, let alone … everything else the man had done. He had tried to destroy his life, and Danny had not even gotten started on hating the man for how he had hurt Grace and Charlie. Just because they were his kids, not Stan's, was no reason to do his best to take so much from them! Stan had almost left them fatherless.

When he looked at Angel, who was getting acquainted with his thumb now that the cast was off of it, he wanted to burst into tears again. Stan had intended for Angel to die, too. A kitten! A kitten, it turned out, who had an unusual gift of sensing her person's emotional distress. Since Danny was her person, she sensed him. He was sure she would have been the same with whoever she had been adopted by, but he had been the lucky one, while Stan had intended for this little innocent to make Danny's imprisonment even more miserable, and the adorable kitten to feel hated. Stan had been foiled in that plan: kitten and human had fallen in deep love for one another. Danny would see to it that Angel's life was long and as happy as he could make it.

And then there were all the things Stan had done to Steve. They knew he had drugged him and tried to kill him, and by the grace of God had not succeeded in the latter. But it could be worse than that.

Danny knew Steve was aching about it, and aching about him, just as he was aching for Steve, and repulsed that he himself had been violated. He knew he had been. He just knew. Plus, he was still aching _there_. And when Steve, upon hearing about the possibility that he had been, too, had tried to hide the fact that he had made a phone call. First thing a rape victim does is not make a secret phone call. That had told Danny that Steve was hiding something from him, plus his phone had switched pockets from before and after the bathroom visit with the water and fan both running, and the low-volume voice not quite covered, except for the words.

Danny wondered who Steve had called.

Which likely meant, somehow, that Dr. Cornett knew something, too, since he hadn't reacted quite as he would have expected. He didn't know what exactly wasn't right, but something had been off. Maybe it was the five seconds too soon that he had offered to test them both for diseases. Like he already was planning to.

Bingo.

Dr. Cornett had been planning to test _Danny_. For more potential problems. He and Steve had head colds, and Steve had been to see the doctor to get his cast replaced. Something had upset him enough to forget to waterproof his cast. That meant Steve had evidence he was hiding from Danny (under the circumstances, just as he would have hidden it from Steve if the situation had been reversed), and he had gone to Dr. Cornett with it.

Danny knew he was a good detective, and because he was a good detective he thought of many possibilities, but discarded all but the _one_ he knew was closest to the truth.

Stan had filmed what he had done, and the tape had been found and given to Steve by the findee. That person was who Steve had called.

So the other person who knew he'd been raped was most likely either Chin, or Kono. Or both? Neither had been by to see him today, nor called. Did this mean that … Danny clutched Angel to his chest, and burst into tears again. If there was evidence to show that Danny had been raped, and Steve as well, but they didn't want Danny to know, Steve would not have acted so shocked at the possibility. But he had been genuinely shocked at the very idea, when Danny suggested he be tested, too. What had in fact happened, Danny thought, was that Steve had not known how to tell Danny that he didn't need testing, because they knew he hadn't been raped, but they knew Danny had, and Steve had told Dr. Cornett because he had to do the testing.

Steve hadn't been … Stan hadn't done that to Steve.

Danny sobbed in relief. But since he wasn't supposed to know until and unless they could figure out a way to tell him, he had to play the game along with everyone else. So when Dr. Cornett very gently hugged him and asked him what was wrong, he made indecipherable sounds, and hid his face, and pulled himself together. "It's so much to deal with," he said, and it was good to be able to move his thumb again. He took the tissues Dr. Cornett handed him, and gave a watery hiccup of a laugh when Angel laboriously tugged over the half-filled box with her teeth.

And then his mood plummeted and he hid behind tissues as his voice took on a softly keening wail. Had everyone seen him raped? Was it evidence going to be shown in a court of law, so what amounted to his universe would know? Had Stan wanted to do that but Danny missed any signals to that effect, and not made his "no" clear enough because he didn't realize he had to? Or, worse, had he been ambiguous so Stan thought he might not mind, and this was the last chance he would get? Had he caused this? Stan's lawyers would try to make it seem like he had some guilt. _"Detective Danny Williams and Stan Edwards had met on numerous occasions to engage in sexual activities." "Objection! Heresay!" "Over-ruled. We have heard no testimony from Detective Williams on this subject."_ So the doubt would be there. His children would be teased and bullied. Becca would dump him. The task force would be laughed at. He would be forced to resign, to move away from everyone he loved, become a homeless beggar in Alaska, until he died one night out in the cold.

He'd already lost so much. He couldn't lose any more.

He threw the Kleenex box across the room, and the ice-water pitcher, knocked over the rolling bedside table, a bouquet of flowers, and got tangled up in the ribbons holding up some balloons, but still managed to rip out his IV line when someone else freed him from the colorful ribbons, a blur in his watery vision. Everyone was yelling, just the way it would happen in court. _"Order! Order!"_

Oh God. He curled into a ball so tight even Angel had trouble reaching him. Hands were pulling at him. Lots of hands. He tightened the ball. He couldn't calm down. His blood pressure shot up, his oxygen levels went down. Angel was frantic, trying to find a way into his tight ball, which she finally managed when he ripped the oxygen mask off his face, and the hand and arm he used was grabbed firmly and held and he felt the prick of a needle in his upper arm. Dr. Cornett was forced to sedate him again, but this time he put him in soft restraints, too, which he couldn't fight; the sedative had a good hold on him. He knew he was trying to panic, but his body would not respond. The oxygen mask was back on his face, and he tried to scream it off, but that didn't work either. His breathing remained calm, no words forming.

As he felt himself losing consciousness, he tried to reach out to Angel and wondered why she loved him, why anyone loved him. The last sounds he heard were Dr. Cornett crying, "Son, I'm so sorry!" while Angel meowed pitifully in his right ear.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Steve and Lou managed to make it out of the hospital and down to Lou's truck without being spotted, mostly because the mail was just arriving at Tripler, so both men hid behind one of the large push-baskets as they passed by the reporters near the Emergency Room Entrance, then walked with some soldiers on their way out from a visit, and hurried to Lou's truck.

Once inside, Steve called Duke and told him what they had, and he agreed to meet them in the evidence room. As soon as everything was fingerprinted and photographed, Steve would find a room alone and view the contents of the thumb drive. If it held anything that had to be used in Rachel's trial, if they still couldn't talk her into taking a plea deal, well, Steve would face that possibility when he came to it. In the meantime, Lou would give Duke his statement. Nobody would see the contents of the thumb drive until Steve gave the okay.

If it contained what he feared, he was not going to give the okay for anyone else to see it.

Lou sensed his tension. "You okay?"

Steve realized he had forgotten to fasten his seatbelt, so he did that quickly, left-handed. "I'm nervous about what's on that drive. Why did Stan send it to you, do you have any idea?"

Lou pursed his lips. "Last he knew, I hated Danny's guts, so all I can think of is that he had no idea that was not the case once I cooled off. The paper hints that he was doing me a favor and we might come to some mutual favor-doing. He's nuts. If I did still hate Danny, I wouldn't help Stan carry out the garbage."

Steve mulled that statement. "Pretty strong dislike you have for Stan."

Lou brought the truck to a stop for a red light. They were heading into the heart of Honolulu now, maybe another ten minutes from the HPD crime lab. "You ever met a guy who seemed so bland, you knew he was dirty, just real good at covering it up?"

"Yeah. Stan."

"Exactly. So I never trusted him. I just had no reason to let him know that."

"Huh. That's kindof how we all felt." Steve felt his phone buzz, and reached into his pocket. "It's Cornett," he told Lou. "Yeah, Doc? Danny okay? Looking forward to be going home?"

There was a pause, and Steve tensed like a bowstring. "He what?" Another pause. "You had to what? Oh … my God!" He listened longer, and then just about turned purple. "Listen, uh. I'm gonna call you back from the crime lab. You said he'd sleep for a good four hours?" (Short pause.) "I don't know how much is on this drive! I may be longer than that! I have to be there when he wakes up, can you keep him out longer if need be?" (Longish pause.) "I don't know if that's a good idea or a bad idea, I gotta call you back from … yes, I know. I wish I knew what set him off. I _have_ to be there when he comes to." (Longish pause.) "I agree. I'll call you in about half an hour, and don't call Chin or Kono. One of their other cousins had a stroke this morning, they're at Queens. It's bad." (Pause.) "No, I didn't tell Danny. Hey, he can't be alone right now. He knows when he's alone, and it isn't good." (Pause.) "Becca, good; she'll be caring. She doesn't know, but he'll feel her caring." (Pause.) "Soon as I can. I know you are helping him. We'll discuss the … thing." (Pause.) "Just take good care of him, give my love to Becca and Hannah." (Pause.) "Yeah. Love you, Doc. Call you real soon. Bye."

Steve pocketed his phone and leaned back against the head rest, his eyes scrunched closed as he massaged his temples with his good hand. "Danny had a PTSD flare, and the doc had to sedate him and put him in restraints."

"Oh, man," whispered Lou, knowing full well that Danny would hate the flare, the sedation, and the restraints. "Look, we can drop the drive off at the lab and go right back."

Steve rearranged his sling. "No, he'll be out for a bit, and this thumb drive may hold some answers he needs to get past this flare. I hope." _Or it could make him dive down deeper into it, Steve thought nervously._


	64. Chapter 64 Love & Ouches

**Chapter 64** "Love  & Ouches"

 **A/N:** (14 July 2017) You are the best. I deeply appreciate your reading the story at all, and the reviews, follows, and faves. Those always stun me and make me feel unworthy, but glad too! I want to keep writing for you for as long as I can type!

Here is the thumb drive chapter. It didn't go *quite* as I expected, but what about this story has? I hope you enjoy it. Much love to you all!

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 64** "Love  & Ouches"

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 6:30 p.m.)

Steve rested his temples against his left fist. He was tired, but not as worried as he had been. Duke had processed the paper, envelope, the little Ziploc baggie that held the thumb drive, and the thumb drive, then turned the drive over to Steve while the computer looked for matches for fingerprints. The outer envelope was a mess of fingerprints, but nobody had a criminal record or was a person of interest. But on everything else, only one print was present, and it had a match: Stan Edwards. Then Duke took Lou Grover's statement while Steve snuck off to a far room to look at the contents on the drive, after covering the camera in the room.

He spent two hours watching the videos. He cried, he sighed, he was furious, and he calmed down greatly towards the end. He could show this to Danny. He should show this to Danny.

Steve pulled the thumb drive out of the computer he was using in the HPD crime lab, zipped it into a pocket on his cargo pants, and gestured to Duke, who was waiting to take him back to Tripler.

"Lou head home?" Steve asked Duke, who was working at a computer at another desk.

"Yeah, after he gave his statement. We talked for awhile." He shook his head. "You never know about some people, do you?" he added cryptically.

Steve's brows furrowed, but only a little. He was fighting another headache, and decided to not fight it. He rummaged in the medicine cabinet and snagged the Tylenol. "What do you mean, Duke?" He held out the bottle for Duke to open. "Two please," while he got a cup from the dispenser and filled it with water.

"We all wondered who set up that Go-Fund-Me page for Danny. It's over a hundred grand now. Turns out it was Lou. He had the page capped today, so in two weeks Danny will have a fat check to take to the bank and help him and his kids. Lou doesn't want Danny to know it was him." He handed Steve two tablets.

After Steve took them, he shared a grin with Duke. "We'll talk to Lou about that. He should be recognized. I had no idea."

"Me, either. So, you ready to go?"

Steve nodded and called Dr. Cornett to let him know he was on his way back. He got through on the third ring. "Hey, Doc. How's Danny?"

Dr. Cornett sounded as weary as Steve felt, and his voice was very nasal. "He's still sleeping, but probably not for more than another half hour to an hour. Becca and Hannah are with him, reading him cards people have sent him."

"That's good." He was smiling softly. "Reading him those cards was a really good idea," he said, climbing into the passenger seat of Duke's police cruiser. "How's your nose? Will you need surgery?"

Steve could almost see Cornett trying not to touch it. "Nope! The doc popped it right back into place, and it'll be fine in two or three weeks, and then I'll be my wife's handsome husband again. In the meantime, I look like I lost a round with Danny's elbow."

Steve grimaced, all the way to his bloodshot eyes. "Well, you did. And you're still Sarah's handsome husband. Seriously, you okay?"

The Doc's voice was earnest, grateful. "Yes, Steve. I'm okay." Then his gentle voice asked, "How are _you_ doing?"

Steve took a couple seconds before he answered, and his voice had a lightness it hadn't had for a while. "I'm actually pretty good. I think this will help Danny. I wasn't a fan of your idea of just showing it to him, but now I think it will be the only thing that really helps. When he knows exactly what happened, he won't be able to imagine the worst. Just make sure I have a device to show it to him on. We're stopping for take-out, but will eat in the car."

"I'll get my laptop. I do approve the take-out! You haven't eaten enough lately. Where are you stopping?"

"Tiki Take-Out." Steve watched Duke grin. They could both see the twinkling, neon sign against the setting sun, a block ahead.

Dr. Cornett made an indescribable but definitely 'I _need_ that!' sound. "Steve! I'll pay for you and Duke's dinner twice! Pleasepleaseplease, get me the barbecue pulled pork burger with double bacon, and their biggest fries and a coke and brownie, I beg you! Three of each! I gotta feed my two beautiful daughters, too! And a bald kiddy hamburger for Angel. And anything you think Danny would like."

"'Bald?'"

"Yeah! You know, plain, no sauce, pickles or onion, just patty and bun?"

Steve laughed. "Bald! For Angel! Will do. We're pulling in now. See you soon." He pocketed his phone and leaned back, for even a little rest felt good now. "You heard the man. Well, I heard him. He's paying. Go for broke."

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Twenty-five minutes later Duke dropped him off at Tripler's ER entrance, and he zipped in carrying a tray with four drinks in it, and a bag of food the size of a shopping tote. It was slung over his rigid cast, while the drinks caddy was balanced on his left hand. Luckily, there was a guard on the elevator up, who punched the buttons for Steve.

Dr. Cornett was waiting for him when he juggled everything out of the elevator on Danny's floor. "Oh, Doc!" he exclaimed, as Cornett took the drinks so Steve could move the bag with the food in it over to his left hand. He winced at the technicolor black eyes and the swollen, very red nose. "Danny is going to apologize every time he sees you for at least a year."

Cornett brushed that off. "It looks worse than it is. Ohhhh this smells good! I can barely use my nose right now, but I can still smell just enough of these burgers to sit down right here in the hall and eat mine. But I won't, because Danny is waking up. He may not remember too clearly what happened that caused the restraints, which have to stay until, well, we see how he reacts to that thumb drive. I've given him some movement with the wrist cuffs, hoping he won't feel quite as scared, and have him in a chest strap and ankle restraints., and I've left the cuffs in the room. If he needs them, call me. I'll stay out of sight unless you do, until he's seen the drive. I'm keeping him mildly sedated, to take the edge off the anxiety. When you go in, Becca and Hannah will come out, so it will be just you two. But I'll be watching his readouts from the nurse's station."

"Okay," said Steve, sobered completely by the sight of the damage Danny's elbow had done, and the worry that they had so underestimated his PTSD. "Oh, you better give me Angel's burger. It's in there somewhere. You'll find what we got Danny, but he probably shouldn't eat until after, you know, he sees. Fridge it and if he gets hungry later, you have a microwave, right?"

The Doc nodded, then rummaged around until he found Angel's 'bald' burger amongst the much larger ones. He handed it to Steve.

It was a silent exchange when Steve went in, and the two Cornett daughters moved the mailbags and stacks of cards over to a chair across the room. Steve gave them both hugs, and kissed Becca on the cheek, and Hannah on the lips, and went in to Danny's room, letting the door close before he looked at the figure on the bed.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

"Oh, Danny," Steve whispered, worry and sadness in his voice. He hated seeing his partner held down by the padded and locked chest strap and ankle restraints. His wrists were semi-restrained, so he could move them freely for about a foot before their tethers would not go further. He could not reach the cannula, clasp his hands, or reach anywhere near the little bag of keys clipped to the foot rail of his bed.

The oxygen mask had been replaced by a nasal cannula, a new IV line was in his left upper arm, out of his reach, and the lines attached to the patches reading his heart and breathing were hidden beneath a pale yellow hospital gown. But the thing that caught Steve's eyes the most were the bruises on Danny's arms, a testimony to how hard it had been to get him under control when he lost it. Dark areas where fingers had had to hold him tightly, digging into his flesh.

Angel meowed softly at him, and he reached out to pet her. She was in her perch by Danny's ear, which meant Danny was working his way out of his formerly heavy sedation, ready to come back to consciousness soon.

Steve pulled over his usual chair and sat down, taking Danny's hand that no longer had the cast on it. He ran his thumb across the back of Danny's hand, wishing he could remove that cuff. He saw the computer Dr. C had left him, and also saw the strap with the more restrictive wrist cuffs on it.

Since Angel wasn't alerting him that Danny would wake up imminently, he leaned forward and gave his sleeping partner a kiss on the forehead, then showed Angel the burger. She loved hamburger, and the smell enticed her. She was willing to sit on Danny's chest and eat the little pieces Steve turned the burger into, on their wrap. She ate half the burger, and stopped, burped, and gave Steve's hand a rub, so Steve re-wrapped the rest of the burger and the two pieces of bun, and went to the door to catch a nurse's attention. Janice, otherwise known as Wow, was still on duty, and she nodded at his request to give these to Dr. Cornett to add to the contents of the refrigerator.

When Steve turned back to Danny, he noticed at once that Angel was alert, focused, and already purring. Steve took his seat and held Danny's hand while Danny's eyelids slowly flapped open. He saw Steve, and smiled in confusion. "Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," said Steve, feeling his tension trying to creep into being visible. He did battle to stay relaxed. And he thought he should tell Danny about the restraints before he discovered them on his own. "Don't freak out at the cuffs and straps. You had a PTSD flare and these became necessary. It's okay. They aren't permanent."

Danny tensed, and pulled on everything, eyes widening. "What did I do?" he asked, confused, while Steve's good hand was everywhere at once, keeping him grounded by the touch of someone who loved him until Danny accepted his plea to just relax and he'd tell him everything he could. Danny settled, but his heartrate was up, his breathing too fast and shallow. "Steve? What did I do?"

"What do you remember?"

Steve watched Danny search his mind, and the moment he found the answer to Steve's question, he withdrew into himself and became unnaturally still. Angel's purr and little paw pats went into overdrive. Steve began running his thumb over the back of Danny's hand, and was puzzled when Danny's hand made a fist, which he pulled out from under Steve's hand. "Don't," he said, much too quietly.

Steve's heart dropped in his chest, but he held in the hurt. "I love you," he said.

"You made a secret phone call, hid evidence from me, which other people know about, and when it comes out in court, you will get awfully tired of being jeered at, and you may want to love me, but you won't after the Governor asks me to resign, and I leave Hawaii to get away from the publicity of everyone knowing Stan did a whole lot more than touch me because the god-damned video got shown in court."

Steve sighed. "I don't know how you figured all that out, but you have some of it right, and some of it wrong."

"You lied to me."

"Sortof. I kept some things from you that I believed would bring on the kind of thing your detective mind scrambled, which means I made an error in judgment. For that, I am sorry. But I'm not sorry I tried to protect you from information you weren't ready to have. I'm sorry for being human in your presence."

That took the anger out of Danny's downcast eyes, which flew up to meet Steve's. "I'm sorry," he finally said. He slid his hand down under Steve's. "Obviously I wasn't ready, anyway, or I wouldn't be strapped to a bed."

"And your doc wouldn't have a busted nose."

"Omigod! Who broke it?"

"Your elbow."

" _My_ …?" Danny swallowed hard, and tears pooled in his eyes until one slid down his cheek. Steve could have sworn Angel sighed as she pawed it ever-so-gently away. "Now he'll hate me, too."

"Please don't cry," pleaded Steve, wearily. "My sinuses can't take another cry today, and where the hell is the Kleenex box?" He got up and went to the door, signaled for Janice to fetch Dr. Cornett and "900 Kleenex boxes."

Dr. Cornett was there so fast, with three boxes of the requested tissues, that he said to Steve, "I bi-locate. It's my super power. Oh, you want me to come in?"

Danny took one look at his doctor's puffy red nose and black eyes, and Dr. Cornett sighed and released his wrists and loosened the cannula so he could blow his nose and keep Angel from having to keep up with his tears. "I'm so sorry!" Danny wailed, and finally took the cup of ice-water handed him.

"Drink that, all of it. You'll dehydrate yourself, and your sinuses can't take this either. Can you stop crying? Steve, you too. Dammit! I'm not supposed to cry till my nose heals!" He wasn't angry; his voice was caring, but had a definite tinge of desperation to it.

"Oh, sorry," said Danny, keening again, while Steve smacked himself on the knee until he stopped crying. They both wound down until they blew their noses, and sat there quietly. Steve and Dr. Cornett nearly lost it when Danny meekly held out his wrists to be re-cuffed.

"No, Danny, no need." Cornett cleared his throat. "And I forgive you for busting my nose. I know you didn't mean to. Besides, I think we met in the middle. Do you need any more sedative? Steve has something to show you. It won't knock you out."

Danny thought for a few seconds, before he nodded and folded his hands in his lap. Angel crawled into his hands, her purr clearly heard as Danny began to pet her.

"I thought you might." He pulled out a syringe with 2 ccs, and injected it into Danny's IV drip. "That's a mild benzodiazepine, so if you feel stressed later, just let me know and I can increase the dosage a bit."

Dr. Cornett made sure Danny could reach the ice water, and got out another cup for Steve. He fetched them each two Tylenol, which Danny took and Steve declined, telling them that he had taken a couple less than an hour ago. Cornett nodded and told them he'd be back if they needed him. Before he left, he gave Danny's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Son, feeling any better?"

Danny nodded.

Dr. Cornett squeezed his shoulder again, and quietly left the room.

Steve had his chair as close to the bed as it was possible to get it, and brought the laptop computer from its hiding place and put it on the bed. He was glad it didn't have a large screen. He told Danny about Duke finding the phone in Stan's office, and how he had brought it to him, told him not to watch it, and so of course Steve did, and immediately destroyed it. "I pulverized it, Danny," he admitted, and told Danny what was on it in the most general of terms. "So I went to Dr. C, because I forgot to waterproof my cast, and I needed to ask the doc how much you had been tested for diseases, and we talked about that, and he gave me a new cast, and we came to see you and you said you had a nightmare and thought Stan and raped you and I should be tested too, because Stan might have raped me too, and that just blew my mind. It had never occurred to me, and I didn't know what to do, and I hadn't seen all that phone video, so I didn't know if you were right or not, and I was thrown! So I called Duke, and asked him how far he got in the phone video, and we'd both stopped at the same place pretty much, so I didn't tell him what you suspected about Stan, and so I still didn't know. And I'm thinking I might as well get tested, since you could be right, and I'm realizing how you are feeling because we're in the same boat. And then, of all things, Lou gets this thumb drive from Stan, mailed before he died, but it got sent to the wrong place, misdelivered, and only got to Lou today. At his office. He brought it right to me, today, and _hadn't looked at it_ , treated it like evidence, and so we hoped, we, that is, me and Dr. C, it might have the phone video on it, because then you could know, and I could know, and nobody else had to know."

"Oh. So you a-and Duke saw, but not Lou or anyone else." Danny was taking it all in, tense, but not as tense as he would usually be in these circumstances. He was daring to hope, but also knew from what had been said that Stan had raped him. But not Steve. So he had been right about that.

"Do you need water?" asked Steve, observing the tension. "Want me to break for a bit, give you time?"

Danny shook his head. "No, uh. Keep going. I'm okay." _I think I'm okay. I hope I'm okay. I'm glad Steve is okay. I know he's worried, so I'll hold it together, because he's carried enough._

"Okay. Because I brought the thumb drive." He unzipped the pocket it was in and withdrew it, and held it up for Danny to see. "If you feel up to it, we can watch it together. I saw it at the crime lab after you had your PTSD flare, made sure the camera didn't see it, and this is the only copy. This is the only copy, Danny. I'm the only one who has seen it all. Do you want to see it? I'll be right here, with you, and won't let you go. We'll face this together, if you feel you are up to it. If you want me to destroy this, too, I'm good with that. If you want to be the one to bash it to atoms with a hammer, that can be arranged."

Danny took the drive in his hand, and treated it as if it was radioactive. "I'm not sure." He wanted to know, and he didn't want to know. "What would you do, Steve?"

"I don't know. Knowing what's on it, I'd wish I didn't. But not knowing, I'd wish I did."

"Can you tell me … what Stan did? I mean, I don't even know what I mean, Steve."

Steve was watching Danny closely, and he privately thought it might be better if Danny didn't see it, but knew something about what had happened. So he gave a strange laugh, and asked Danny if he'd ever seen Stan's junk.

"Of course not! It's below moldy Spam on my list of things I gotta see."

"I gotta tell ya, then, he's got the skinniest snake I ever saw."

"And how many have you seen?"

Steve harrumphed. "Navy SEAL, Danny. No privacy! So, a hundred? 89? 103? Hell, I dunno! But Stan had the skinniest. Long enough, I suppose. But some guys are bigger than that when they aren't, you know, into it."

Danny gaped at Steve, and then began to laugh.

Steve shook his head. "No, seriously! I don't know how Rachel ever felt anything!"

Danny laughed even harder, and Steve felt relieved. "Maybe she didn't," Danny wheezed, which made Steve laugh, too.

"Maybe not! And then, I kid you not, Danny, he's barely even started before Mo Morris walks in on him and he's gotta stuff all his junk back in his pants so Mo doesn't see anything, and Mo chews Stan out because he thinks Stan was just getting ready to! Neither Duke nor I saw that part because we both stopped watching, because we were too upset at the, you know, getting started part."

Danny's laughter briefly morphed into crying, but he pulled himself together, and while he wasn't relaxed, he wasn't a bowstring either. "So was that all that is on this thing?" He held up the radioactive thumb drive.

"No," replied Steve. "There's video of when Stan was fitting out the box, and putting you in it, and Angel, who hissed at him and scratched him good on his leg. There is footage of me being put into the driver's seat of your car, and Neil in the passenger side, that part is mostly me, we don't get a good look at Neil. So, no new information, just video of stuff we already knew, mostly. Oh, I almost forgot. He videoed Rachel shaving your head, with the clipper and then with the razor. That part is upsetting, too."

Danny sat soberly now, thinking. "Well, I don't need to see that. So it's not evidence that needs to be preserved. I mean, Stan is dead, and Rachel shaved my head, so it can be destroyed?"

Steve nodded.

"Can I take the hammer to it this time? When I'm released?"

Steve nodded.

"Okay. I don't need to see this thing, then." He handed the drive back to Steve, who weighed the little thing in his palm.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. I trust you. I know you wouldn't lie."

They hugged, after Steve zipped the thumb drive back into his pocket. Danny asked, "Can we see if Dr. Cornett will let us hit it with something out on the patio, so it can't be watched again? I don't think I need these straps and stuff anymore."

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Dr. Cornett released Danny's restraints, and they made their way down to the lanai. The Doctor had produced a hammer from the tool box in his car. So the three went down the hall, and made sure there was nobody else there, and they decided Danny would take the killing swing.

He went down on one knee and placed the thumb drive on the stone lanai, and raised the hammer high, and brought it down as he bent over the drive.

And the utterly unexpected happened. The hammer bounced right back up at Danny's face, smacked him right in the nose, which broke with a sharp snap, and ricocheted off and hit Steve right on his. "Ow," moaned Danny, unaware of Steve's equal plight, for his, "Oh," grunt had been virtually simultaneous. Dr. Cornett gathered up the wrecked thumb drive, shoved it in Steve's pocket, the hammer in his own belt, and yelled for a nurse, while both men experienced what he had earlier, holding their hands (or in Steve's case, hand) over their gushing noses.

"Dabbid, id broge by doze!" they swore in unison, each becoming aware through the means of peripheral vision and stereo hearing that they shared identical plights. Dr. Cornett was sighing. "Don't worry, boys, I'll fix you both up."

And he did.


	65. Chapter 65 Past, Present, Future

**Chapter 65** "Past, Present, Future"

 **A/N:** (27 July 2017) Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed. I can tell you how much this means to me: if I'm stuck, reviews keep me going, and if I'm not stuck, reviews keep me going. You are so important to me and my writing.

I had to work out how to handle the whammo news of losing Chin and Kono as continuing characters on the show. They will not be in season 8. I am upset that the race card was ever played since the show has more various races than any other I've ever seen. As for salary, DDK and GP understand (or should) that co-stars are not paid as much as co-leads. Just because they were in the core 4 did not mean they were co-leads. So that's that.

The new season should be good! I am really looking forward to it.

FYI: Mo Morris has a play-by! I didn't even realize it until I saw a sling TV ad, and omg that's Mo! The actor's name is Danny Trejo, and he's famous! Who knew? I must have seen him somewhere, because seriously he is Mo!

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 65** "Past, Present, Future"

(Thursday, 12 January 2017, 3 a.m.)

So much had happened in the past two weeks, thought Danny Williams as he sat out on the old wooden beach chair in Steve's backyard overlooking the ocean. Danny had more or less appropriated the wooden chair that had been there with its twin ever since he had known Steve McGarrett, almost seven years now. Steve always sat in the left chair when there was company, and the right if there wasn't. Now the right chair was Danny's, but sometimes he sat in the middle seat of the covered glider that had been added when he and his daughter, son, and kitten had come to stay with the man who was in every way that mattered a brother to him, an uncle to his children, and who would soon enough be his brother-in-law.

Danny glanced over at the glider, protected and private. How many times had he and Becca, his fiancée, sat there to talk about everything and anything? Or made out? How many times had he sat there with his children, the very almost-fifteen-year-old Grace and the very four-and-a-half -year-old Charlie, as they ate their breakfast before the kids went to school and he and Steve went to work? How many times had he caught Steve and his fiancée, Hannah, needing chaperoning? (Angel, his kitten, turned out to be a wonderful chaperon and guard kitten, as well as his Therapy Animal.) Grace did her homework there as often as possible.

Danny was nursing a cup of tea, and the glider didn't have a place to set it down, hence the chair. Plus, it was a little more private, farther from the house, closer to the waves, even though they were still a good hundred feet away as they tirelessly caressed the sand before slipping back, only to rush forward again.

Today had been stormy earlier, hence there was more force and sound to the waves, which wore little whitecaps. It was also a neap tide, so the water came higher up the sand than usual. The moon was full, and since the storm had moved on, it was as big and bright as Danny could ever remember seeing it.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

He thought about the past ten days, since he had been released from Tripler on the 2nd of January. They had been days of settling in to the realization that he really had no place else to go but Steve's house, with his family, and yet half the city of Honolulu seemed to want to take them in. It was the strangest feeling of having nothing and everything at the same time. And the news crew that had surprised him, Steve, Dr. Cornett, Becca, Hannah, and Chin and Kono as he was released from his official ride in the wheelchair, carrying his kitten, Angel, in her pink and white harness, the pineapple mylar balloon (still holding tight and bobbing high on its red string with the chewed end), and a peace lily plant, while others had already packed the back of Steve's Silverado, and the trunks and back seats of other cars with the bags of cards and letters he had received in the mail.

That news crew had almost sent Danny into a panic, as his and Steve's and Dr. C's noses were still red, puffy, and their eyes in various stages of swollen, colorful bruises. Danny had been given a transparent lucite mask with an all-over pattern of drilled holes in it so his skin of his nose could breathe while it protected him from Angel's habit of touching his nose. Now she could touch it all she wanted, and his nose wasn't in danger of breaking again. (Steve had taken to calling Danny "not-Thor", which made him laugh.)

But it was not something he wanted plastered over newspaper articles or interviews. It was, though, along with the unsupplied reasons for three men having more or less identically broken noses and black eyes.

Still, he had learned something good at that surprise: someone had discovered and leaked to the press that Lou Grover was the one responsible for the Go-Fund-Me page that had brought in a mind-boggling sum of $120,000 for him and his family.

So Danny, surrounded by his Ohana, which had grown to include the Cornetts, while he stood with the wheelchair now behind him and his arm around the waist of Becca, making this their debut as a photographed couple, since he had introduced her as his fiancée, Becca Cornett, had given an impromptu thank you speech to the amazing people of Honolulu, and indeed other places, for money and cards had come from all over the United States, even the world. He felt staggered by the generosity of people, and by Lou. By his Doctor, who was too tall to hide behind anything or anyone, and by his brother and partner, Steve McGarrett.

And then it was off to Steve's house, with waves and hugs for other doctors and nurses, and even Janice / Wow made it on camera!

So had Angel, especially since Danny had been holding her and her favorite plush bunny toy, until Angel hopped onto his shoulder, and while Danny talked he used his hand holding the toy for emphasis, until finally Angel captured it and hugged it, and that definitely made the on-air edit.

Danny thought, too, of the New Year's Eve party, kept low key since Danny was not yet released from the hospital, since his PTSD was being evaluated and need for medication mulled over by those whose job it was to figure that out. Dr. Cornett had final say on anything, and between him and the two psychologists who specialized in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it was decided that Danny take a mild anti-anxiety medication, keep a journal religiously, and had daily 50-minute appointments with his therapist for two weeks, and then they would see how it went, with the idea being that he could scale back to once a week, then as needed but once a month scheduled. He felt good about that, but still the party was on the somber side, until nearing midnight, when everyone coupled up, and kisses were shared as 2017 was ushered in, and Danny slipped the pearl necklace around Becca's neck after their kiss full of promise, love, and happiness. Her hand came up to feel it, and the kiss she gave Danny was an epic poem of love, which had earned tears of joy and a long hug for both of them from Grace, and a scrunch-faced "ewwww!" from Charlie. Then everyone was hugging everyone, and the fireworks lit up the starry sky. Steve and Hannah, Isaac and Sarah Cornett, Kono and Adam, and Chin and Abby had all stood together, along with the rest of their Ohana, and watched the fireworks, which inspired Danny to whisper to Becca, "These aren't nearly as good as your kisses." So they spent most of the show making their own, and Danny fell in love with Becca anew every time he saw the glow of love in her eyes.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

The days immediately after settling in to Steve's were full of visits to lawyers, insurance agents, and a gut-wrenching drive to the hole in the ground and cleared area that had once been his house. He had hoped he might find something in the rubble, but it was gone. After that, they had gotten permission to retrieve the things Grace and Charlie most wanted from the Edwards home. Officer Pua Kai had driven Danny, Steve, Grace and Charlie over, while Kono and Chin followed in their own cars, not knowing how much the kids might want to bring back.

It had turned out to be not that much, mostly clothes, toys, books, Charlie's favorite soup mug, and photo albums Grace kept of pictures that mostly excluded her mom, and entirely excluded Stan, but were full of Danny. Grace had her necklace collection from her Danno, while Danny thought to collect all their important documents and school papers, as well as their baby clothes, since in Grace's case especially those went all the way back to New Jersey. Danny sniffled and tried very hard not to cry when he looked at Grace's satin and lace Baptism dress, with the little bonnet and tiny shoes, and remembered how proud he was when he had held her as she squirmed just a little bit, and coo-ed, and yawned enormously during the ceremony. He did shed tears when he found the beautiful bridal-style dress and veiled tiara and shoes and gloves for her First Communion, and he had pictured her walking down the aisle as a grown lady, her groom awaiting her at the altar. And now she was almost fifteen, and starting to notice boys, and was literally having a difficult time deciding between the tall and handsome Nehele, who Steve was Big Brother to, and Will Grover, Lou's eldest son, who wasn't as tall but was just as handsome, and had the slight advantage of going to school with her. Danny was waiting with bated breath to see which of the two young men won her heart. He had approved them both.

With Steve hovering and acting as another set of arms to hold things, he had also taken the little white suit Charlie had worn at the Baptism he had not even been invited to. Charlie might want the suit someday for his own son, if he had one. He tried to think in terms of what his kids might want in the future, that they were too young to think about now.

Grace, Danny noted, had only taken the special occasion dresses he had bought for her, none of the ones from Stan, while Charlie had chosen the toys given to him by Danno, with only one being from Stan and Rachel: the model firetruck with the flashing lights and extendable ladder. He knew the choice of that toy had not had anything to do with who had given it to him, simply that he loved it.

The kids went back to school, Hannah went back to teaching kindergarten, and she and Becca were over at Steve's so often, they might as well have brought luggage! They did leave swimsuits and a change of clothes.

And then there was the interesting visit Danny (with Angel) and Steve had paid to Becca and Hannah's shared apartment in a highrise building somehow contriving to be within 20 minutes (including traffic) from the Cornett house, Steve's house, Tripler, and Sacred Heart Kindergarten, attached to the school Grace attended.

Now that had been memorable, because there they had met Becca's 7-month-old male kitten, Clarence, a bouncy pale gray and white fluffball twice Angel's size. She had taken one look at him and her hair had gone bottlebrush everywhere poof as she turned into the Arch of St. Louis, minus any growling, and danced slowly toward him on her tippy toes.

Clarence had taken one look at this feisty little lady, and up went his tail, and he sidled toward her carrying his favorite battered mouse toy, which he dropped at her feet. She promptly smacked him on the nose with one paw (no claws extended), which made Clarence drop belly down before he rolled over to show off his adorable tummy (and, Danny thought, Other Things, since he had not yet been neutered). Angel did not whack him again. Instead she sniffed the toy offering while her fur relaxed. Then she gave Clarence another, gentler smack, sniffed him, rubbed her face against his face, inspected his Other Things, and they were inseparable after that. He led her over to his food dish, and stood back for her to eat, which she did, until she made a chirp sound they had never heard her make, apparently the love call of a pre-adolescent kitten to her chosen eventual mate, and Clarence rubbed her face and they ate together out of his food bowl. Danny, frowning and brows furrowed, had said, "I think I have a son-in-law."

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

It was a beautiful night. The main reason Danny was seeing the moonlight silver everything it touched, and the waves singing their love song to the sand, was that he had awakened from a disturbing nightmare after barely two hours of sleep. The nightmare had been a variation on the usual nightly fare now, featuring Stan Edwards and things he kept to his journal and therapist, and very occasionally Steve or Dr. Cornett. He had not told Becca about the nightmares. She would know soon enough.

He had come outside a little before 2 a.m., with the journal the PSTD therapist had encouraged him to keep about his nightmares. In his dark blue drawstring pajama pants, white T-shirt that was a hand-me-down from Steve and only a few washes from being thrown in the trash, and flip-flops, with a towel draped around his shoulders to give him a little warmth, he had written in the journal steadily for 45 minutes, words pouring onto the page, using a lighted pen to augment the moonlight. Danny wrote in it about everything, because there were so many changes to his life since the night Stan Edwards had tried to kill him and Steve, on 20 December 2016, not even a month ago.

Not even a month ago. Now he was ten days out of the hospital after almost ten days in the hospital with infections and the need to recuperate from all that Stan Edwards had done and tried to do to him. Stan was dead of an aneurysm and blood clot, three other men were dead by Stan's direct actions, Steve had been injured and still wore the cast on his broken right arm and bruising in several other places. Rachel was being tested for a plethora of possible conditions while kept in the psyche ward of Queen's Hospital because she had tried to harm her baby, and the doctors suspected an acute hormone imbalance, and if she was not very lucky, the baby was going to have a hard time growing to a healthy size. Luckily, he had a home once he was born: Jason Black's family had sued Rachel for custody and full parental rights.

He reached under his chair and coaxed the sleeping kitten into his lap, where Angel was only too happy to be. He petted her while she purred and curled into a circle, then closed her blue eyes and fell asleep. She had grown in the past three weeks, but was still quite small, even if she wasn't expected to be big at only three months old. The vet said she would always be a small cat. But she had filled out a bit, and her fur was silkier now that she was being properly fed. She had been so skinny, and now she was healthy, and had two weeks of Therapy Training under her belt. She was turning out to be a Godsend not just to Danny, but to the Task Force in general. Her record at picking out perps amongst persons of interest was 100 percent!

Maybe 99 percent, thought Danny, although technically her one aberration was not a perp. One did have to subtract her dislike for Steve's elderly neighbor, Mrs. Benson, who called Danny "Steve" and Steve "John", and who had one tiny micro-dog, and one gigantic Mastiff the size of a pony. One could not blame a small cat for disliking the owner of such disparately sized dogs, especially since she had an uncanny habit of intruding into "John's" backyard with the now oft-asked question of when was "Steve and his brood" going to move back out, and an unexplainable newly-acquired dislike of "Steve." Danny scowled, and wrote a bit more in the journal, because Mrs. Benson's dislike of him extended to his children, his fiancée, and his kitten. She had sicced the Mastiff, Big Boy, on Angel once, and only the kitten's blur-fast run for the house, and Danny's interception of the pony, who had bitten his arm before he had gotten hold of the huge beast's collar and yanked her back.

Nobody messed with Angel. Now Steve's back yard had a 6-foot high wooden post and wire netting fence with a gate in it, so the view was not obstructed, but Mrs. Benson couldn't walk all the way up to the back door with her dog(s) and accost Danny, as she had taken to doing.

She didn't much like Hannah, either. She only liked "John".

But she was not the stuff of nightmares. Irritating, in that way that begged for patience, for her Alzheimer's was getting worse, but not nightmarish.

Danny reached for his half-drunk tea, and it had passed the point of being even a little warm. He wasn't really thirsty anyway. He thought about going back inside, but the sound of the waves soothed him now, as it had not for the longest time. While he fought the charms of Hawaii for so many years, he had fought also everything he was now coming to love about Oahu, and the State of Hawaii in general. He had hated the waves and their tireless slipping up and back on the sand. The salt breeze had become a balm to him, a healing agent. He loved the feel of the breeze on the silky golden hairs on his arms and body, and in his disobedient inch-long hair style. It took so much gel to get his growing-out hair to behave that he had stopped bothering with it at all, and was just letting it grow. He usually wore a baseball cap, but had forgotten that as well.

Suddenly Angel woke with a growl, and did her best Arch of St. Louis, while staring over at the edge of the fence, where it met the end of the shrubs. Danny's eyes snapped over in that direction, and even though the hour was either way too late or way too early, there stood Mrs. Benson, barely visible, in fact hiding, watching him while her little micro-dog Teacup just slept in her arms. She was wearing a sand-colored muumuu, and if Angel had not alerted him, he would not have noticed she was there.

He wondered how long she had been watching him. It raised the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck, like it had turned Angel's tail into a white bottlebrush and body doubling in size as her fur stood on end. Her low, rumbly growl was pretty impressive and scary, coming from a little kitten.

He raised his hand to wave, but stopped the friendly gesture abruptly, pulling his hand back to clutch Angel to him. Had he just heard Mrs. Benson hiss at him to "go home" in her thin, reedy voice, before turning and going presumably home herself?

He shook his head. It might be time to talk to her sons about taking her to her doctor, to see if her medications needed adjustment. Her symptoms were definitely getting worse. Danny felt sorry for her as he turned his attention to the still-bristled Angel.

Who continued to growl, and watch the fence.

Danny finally got up and took Angel inside, and then walked down to the gate, and let himself out. He went over to the end of the fence, and there behind the shrubbery was the tiny, elderly woman. "Mrs. Benson, can I walk you home?"

"No!" she hissed, rudely, and suddenly her hand came up and slapped his face, connecting surprisingly hard. Danny was shocked, even moreso when Mrs. Benson spat out, "Bastard! Why don't you go back to the mainland and leave John to me? You and all those vermin you brought back with you! Take 'em all back!" And then she shuffled quickly away from him, heading now for her house two yards up, Teacup peering briefly over her shoulder, looking as confused as Danny felt.

He felt the warmth drip onto his almost-dead T-shirt. Damn. His nose had been clipped a tiny bit, and was bleeding half-heartedly on one side. He had forgotten to wear his clear mesh nose guard. More stuff to write about in his journal, but later. He knew from experience that if he didn't get back inside, Angel would wake the house. She would be having a fit at the backdoor.

Danny used one hand to pinch his nose to stop the bleeding, and the other to snag his journal and pen, and his teacup, the contents of which were poured out on the grass. He nudged open the door and quieted Angel, only to find Steve coming down the steps, wide awake, wearing only his pajama pants. "I heard Angel," he said quietly. "What happened? Your nose is bleeding."

Danny told him.

"Mrs. Benson? She hit you?"

Danny nodded. They had moved into the downstairs bath to get a cold washcloth to clean Danny up, and the nose clamp to stop the bleeding, while Angel rode Danny's shoulders like the pro she now was. "Steve, she is creeping Angel out, and if I'm honest, me too."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, helping Danny out of his officially now dead T-shirt. Danny didn't even mind as his best friend swabbed blood off his chest with a cold washcloth. "I'll talk to her kids tomorrow. She needs someone with her full time."

"I'd just nod and agree with you," Danny said, reasonably. "But she is spying now, and I got kids and a kitten to protect. I'm starting to feel guilty about being so much trouble. You already had to put up that fence."

They had moved back out to the kitchen, now, and Steve was putting on more water to heat for tea. "Nah, the fence was becoming more needed as more and more people think looking into my windows is a cool idea now that the famous McGarrett has this less-handsome houseguest. The alarm company is tired of sending people out. They might rent a spot and set up a tent in the back yard."

"Who says you're more handsome?"

"No less an authority than Hannah Cornett."

"She's biased!" Danny and Angel both swatted Steve, and the two men quietly laughed. "So, you going back to bed, or you want to talk about what got you up in the first place? Besides, we have Operation Valentine's Day to finish planning."

"Yes we do," said Danny, keeping his now more enthusiastic voice down. "Nightmare, usual stuff, nothing to discuss. But OVD is a yes! Are you sure we should do this together? It's gonna wind up on YouTube, like that ambush interview when I got released from Tripler. My puffy red nose and shiners are enshrined on the internet for the world to see!"

"With over a million views, and my honker and colorful eyes are just as famous because some sick cameraman was ordered to widen the shot every time I stepped another few inches away from you!"

"Fair is fair. Commander McGarrett has his fans too."

Steve pursed his lips, which looked funny on him and almost made Danny laugh. "Okay okay okay, Danny. So, about Valentine's Day, when we both officially exit the market of eligible bachelors. Are you sure we should do this in one, you know, thing?"

Danny smirked, while Angel finally wandered over to the couch and flopped down, relaxed again. "Steve. Let me ask you one question. Do you want one more video, under the headings no less of Most Romantic Proposal Ever and Puttin' A Ring On It on YouTube, or two? You know someone's gonna film it. It's choreographed!"

"That's two questions."

"No, I asked it as one question and made two declarative after-comments." He huffed. "I do not like my tea water burnt!"

Exasperated but still distracted, Steve huffed right back, in his 'I am dealing with a childish prima donna' voice. "Take the little teapot off the burner and pour the nice steaming _just right_ water over the teabags! Do I have to do everything? My arm is still in this damn cast! I got out spoons and milk. I can just re-use your teabag. I got you a new one since I know you'll throw that perfectly good one out."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You are going to re-use my – omigod, I hope Hannah knows what she is getting into. Neanderthal."

"Over-reacting child."

And the insults went downhill from there, until Steve hit low with, "Stan magnet."

Danny's face took on a stricken look, his hands started to shake, and he carefully put the teacup on the counter and walked in the direction of the armchair, not the couch. Angel hissed at Steve, and Steve turned sheet-white and threw his arms around Danny before he reached the chair, holding him tight, risking Angel's wrath. While Danny didn't move, Steve was apologizing with sincere contrition. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, soooo sorry, Danny, I didn't mean that, I really really really didn't mean that, I'm so sorry, oh God I'm sorry."


	66. Chapter 66 Shattered

**Chapter 66** "Shattered"

 **A/N:** (30 July 2017) Your reviews were so beautiful, I thank you from the deepest place in my heart. Your reviews mean so much to me. I'm not ever sure how a chapter will be received. So thank you for telling me what you think, how this labor of love on my part makes you feel.

This chapter was difficult, but just came free-flow. I did very little editing, probably should have done more, but…raw is how it came, and I left it that way.

God bless you all! Thank you for sticking with this journey! We're coming near the close, a few more chapters (unless it surprises me again, won't that be unexpected) and the next story is deep in research. It's quite different. But all that in due time.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 66** "Shattered"

(Thursday, 12 January 2017, 4:15 a.m.)

Steve knew he had to keep Danny from sitting in that overstuffed chair, because he sat there when he was withdrawing, wrapping himself in his feelings of being alone or rejected. He was a couch guy, middle-seat unless someone had already taken that spot. Unless he was making a point, he never chose the chair if there was any spot on the couch. And if he did not choose the middle of the couch, it meant something. Left side, right side, Danny didn't do anything without meaning. Steve had learned that he could gauge a lot about his partner's frame of mind and emotional state just by watching where and how he sat. Steve made a mental note to get rid of that chair and replace it with a loveseat, so there stopped being an "alone" chair.

So he kept his grip on Danny, and kept apologizing, eventually quieting, waiting for whatever damage he had done with his wretched, unfiltered tease to ease up. He felt like he was holding a Danny-shaped statue. But he wasn't fighting Steve, and that was good. Steve held him, bare chests touching, bringing his good hand upwards across Danny's back until his arm was bent so his fingers were laced through Danny's soft hair, gently encouraging him to rest his head against his shoulder. Tiny relax by tiny relax, Danny leaned against him, but his arms remained at his sides, the hug unreturned. Even in his embrace, Steve knew Danny felt alone.

It broke his heart, but he had made it happen by forgetting for one second that his friend was recovering from so many things that he had fallen into PTSD because too much had happened for his emotions to deal with at once. He hadn't had time yet to emotionally work through things so he could heal. Some things, like the fire and not dying from the drug mix-up, Danny was dealing with well. But other things were harder for him. And in many ways, the worst of his triggers was the fear that he had brought Stan Edward's actions towards him on himself. It wasn't that Steve had unforgivably teased him about being victimized. No, it was much worse. Steve had made it look like Danny's fault. So he waited, knowing his brother's thoughts were tumbling like clothes in the dryer, working through the layers of his emotional pain. Steve knew not what other pains he may have unwittingly raised from the depths.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Danny let his thoughts whirl and spin. The tongue is mightier than the sword. What Steve had said to him - He felt so gutted, but the blood was invisible even while he felt like his wounds had to show; the bleeding would never stop. I will never heal. How can I heal? Do they think I ever encouraged Stan? I swear I never did. I'm in pain. Steve, I'm bleeding and I'm in pain. Why did you say that? Do the others think that too? How much blood can I lose and still survive? I wear dark colors now as often as I can, because blood shows less on dark colors. And these scabs keep bursting open again. And again. And again.

I know I never encouraged him. I know Stan just wanted to hurt me. I know that. But I guess I'm the only one that knows that, heart- and soul-deep. I can't talk about it. No. I really can't talk about it. I just have to believe, and get past this. Somehow. I would have gotten out. I would have saved Angel. I would have gotten us both out. But I'm glad we were rescued. Angel was so skinny. She's fine now, though. And nobody notices how little I eat. Because I only eat when I'm with someone, and even then, nobody pays attention that I throw half of it away if I'm hurting. Even the therapists haven't noticed. Not even Dr. Cornett. But it's only 6 pounds. In two weeks. I'll have to be careful.

I'm always hurting.

No. That's not true.

It is true. Yes, it is. Every day I hash over this garbage with the therapist du jour, and every damn night I have nightmares. Over and over and over. Two days ago I didn't. Okay, one aberration. One good dream. It was about the house, and none of this had ever happened. And I woke up happy. One time I woke up happy, only to realize it all happened. And there's the therapist asking me about how I'm coping, how I'm feeling, do I remember the exercises? The positive thinking, the strength that comes from being the only freaking person in my life who knows I didn't make this happen? I'm sitting with that therapist, and she can't even see how much I'm bleeding all over her pleather couch with the fuzzy pillows which I refuse to hold like I need to hide behind a square of fluff. And you can take that wretched box of Kleenex you put next to me on the couch so I can cry and make you feel like we're making such progress because I cried for you, like a zoo animal on command. How high, turn in a circle, be a good lab rat, make the kids laugh, make the therapist scribble "He cried" in her little black binder thing. I won't do it for her. I'm not a lab rat. Take your box of Kleenex and shove it up your …. Geez, I can't even think that word anymore. So, vagina! Shove it up your damn vagina. Use lube. I can't do this anymore. I need a new therapist. One who really cares.

She's working for a paycheck. She wants me to cry and hold the damn pillow. I need a better therapist! Then say so! Right. Say so. Danny's complaining again. Remember last year? Culminating in the Huge Thing? The liver donation. While I know my 'ohana' doesn't care if I live or die, as long as Steve lives. Take my liver, Steve, and if I die on the operating table, well, they will say at my funeral, "He saved Steve's life. And then died, so we didn't have to hear about it forever. God, the man was insufferable! Bitch, moan, bitch, moan, lather, rinse, repeat. Remember the roof? He's yelling 'I don't wanna go!', when if he doesn't, he dies so yeah he jumps, and expects us not to forget what he put Steve through? 'Love you, Danno.' Yeah, he owed Steve that liver, but the best thing he did was die."

And then I didn't die. And so they didn't visit me, and Steve said … that thing about Charlie.

I still hear those words. "He'll come to hate you," first bullet to the heart, "as much as I do." And he's down for the count, and the referee hits 10 and a bunch of my other organs are yanked out to help other needy people, so really, there's not that much even to bury!

Okay, fair is fair, I know it all got cleared up and even Lou is on the verge of wearing a Five-0 badge again. I never thought he'd turn around so completely. I do forgive him. All of them. I know mistakes were made, and not just by them. I know I had blame, and I accept it. "I love you," is real from them again. Steve is my brother. I love them all. Forgiveness is real, and I've forgiven them, and they've forgiven me, and it's all good again.

Except for this. And I'm trying so hard not to talk about things, harp on things, brings things up until they hear me, that they aren't hearing me. I'm supposed to be over this now. They don't want to hear that I'm not, so I don't tell them. I can't have that go south again. I can't hear them telling me I'm the weak link and a whiner and so I say nothing except to that miserable therapist.

Get a better therapist, and tell them how you feel. Oh yeah, right. A good therapist is one in a thousand. And I can't risk these friends again. I need them. Okay, they don't know that, but when I tell them, they shy away. They still remember before. Bitch, moan, rant, whine whine whine. No, I can't risk it. I can't risk it, I won't risk it!

Then tell Becca. Oh God no! Beyond stupid idea. Becca, sweet Becca, did you know your fiance's been _I still can't say it!_ by Stan's skinny snake, and it hurts every time now when I go to the little boy's room? All the time. From a skinny snake when I wasn't even conscious, and I regret not watching that damn video….

Sortof. I don't know if I could have … watched it. Besides, it's destroyed. But I regret it. Steve and I talked, and told me, he told me, so I know what happened, and I don't know how Steve found the courage to just tell me the second time we talked about it, and he was so compassionate without drowning me in syrup. He treated me like a man. Even when I made my nose bleed again from crying, he was strong, and I'll give it to him, he did better than I would have under the circumstances. And Dr. Cornett has been a rock. He cares. He's like a brother too, more than a dad, so I guess I need to do what Steve does and call him Doc or Dr. C. I guess. How did I get so lucky? Or did they get unlucky? Or is it both? When I get lucky, I suck the luck out of another person's life. Mo died because of me. Neil died because of me. Jason died because of me. Okay, Jason didn't die because of me. He was all Stan's doing.

So tell him it hurts there. It started with that first nightmare, just tell him! No. He already did an embarrassing exam for both of us and said I'm fine. But it still hurts. So? I'm not telling him. Whatever it is will go away. It does when I'm relaxed. Which is almost never. So it's muscle tension. I don't have to whine to him about muscle tension.

The longer you wait, the harder it will be to treat.

Yeah, well aint that life!

You lived. You have people who genuinely love you. Whatever happened to the glass full, not half empty or half full, but all the way full?

I don't know. He's still there, sometimes, but sometimes he's hard to convince, because these nightmares are persistent, and I'm tired all the time, and I need to find a house and furniture and write 5000 thank you letters, and I'm so grateful to all the caring, omigod generous people, seriously where to even start? I'm full when I think of them, and Becca, why does she even like me let alone love me? And Steve. I know he didn't mean what he said, but he set off a huge trigger, and he'll stand here holding me as long as I stand here too, which may be the rest of the night, and ….

Matty would never have done that. Nooooo, please don't bring up Matty! God, he hurt me so bad, I could have helped him, I could have, but he threw me under the bus and my family looks at me differently now. Stella won't talk to me beyond hello and we're fine and how is Grace. She tries to ignore my illegitimate son, Charlie. And then there's the bomb nobody knows about because I can't whine. When I asked when Eric was coming back to Hawaii, and she said, after this year long pause that was probably only 15 seconds, "You're not the role model I thought you were, so he's found a job here." And then the biggie. The nuclear one. "Stay away from my family, Daniel."

Mom and Dad and Bridget don't know. Or maybe they do. Bridget, she came out, and it was pretty good. But she hasn't come back, and doesn't call often at all. Twice since the box. But you know, everyone is busy during the holidays, and I'm fine.

Right, fine. I'm so fine, it hurts. I can't eat even if I would eat, because I was supposed to starve, and it seems fitting to not eat when I really should and don't have any good reason except self-flagellation. Which is not good. I know I should forgive my family.

I feel like there is Stella-Matty, and … and everyone is turning into Matty all over again, so there's no acceptance of me, no understanding. I can't turn to them for anything except hurt. "Daniel, you effed up. You disappointed us. You are not worthy of our name. Our lives no longer include you."

That was when Danny's legs gave out from under him, and he sagged, sobbing, against Steve, who caught him and lowered him to the area rug so they could lean against the couch.

The pain was too much, so Danny poured his troubles out to Steve, like he opened the floodgates and let it all out. Everything. And Steve held him, and wonder of wonders his nose didn't begin bleeding again, but he thought his eyes might. "I know you didn't mean what you said, and of course I forgive you, Steve, but maybe what you said is true, because Stan had every right to be that angry with me, because I had an affair with Rachel, and we made Charlie, and it's not my fault that he thought Charlie was his because I thought Charlie was his, but he hurt when the truth came out! And it was my fault, because I didn't do what was right, I didn't do what I knew was right, but if I had, there wouldn't be Charlie, and how can I regret Charlie? I can't regret him, so if Stan has to pay me back the way he did, don't I have it coming?

"And I hurt all the time, and I'm not eating, I've been hiding that, and I'm sorry, but I can't take all this pain, and being afraid to say anything for fear of driving everyone away again, like before, and I'm always afraid, and that goddamn therapist is as helpful as a knife in my guts. She doesn't care, Steve. I'm just her 2 o'clock PTSD who can tell she doesn't care it's Danny Williams the human being. And that Stan acted out of justifiable anger but I still can't say the word.

"I should forgive him. I have to forgive him. He was a creep with no redeeming qualities except he never laid a hand on Grace or Charlie, but he saved it for me, and even that I have to thank him for because better me than my kids, that would have killed me, and I gotta forgive, it's eating me alive, the fear, the hurt, the 2 o'clock, and my family back in Jersey disowning me, and you, here, now, a closer brother than Matty ever was to me, because I know I can count on you, trust you, even when you make a mistake, you apologize and Matty didn't, ever, but I've been so scared, Steve, that you might abandon me too, please don't abandon me, so many people have …."

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Steve felt Danny finally, abruptly cling to him before his legs buckled, and he listened to the words bursting forth, and tried to keep everything straight. He held Danny and just listened, and Angel dragged over the box of tissues, and then another one when the first one was empty. He lifted Danny to the couch, and trapped him against the pillows of the arm, so he could run for the kitchen and grab water bottles. Danny was dehydrating, right before his eyes, but he had to get this out of his system. So whenever he could, he got him to drink, again and again, and Danny did and cried, and let it all out, and Steve never loved Danny so much as he did then. God, he never dreamed there was so much inside, needing out. He never realized just how deep and far back the damage ran, but now that he knew, he had his work cut out for him, because he would cut off his own right or left arm before he would abandon this man who was so strong, and yet had suffered so much at the hands of so many, including his birth family, even his Five-0 ohana.

Danny finally stopped talking and just wept, and drank when Steve prompted him to, and when the exhausted man literally fell asleep in Steve's arms, he carried him up the stairs to his own room and put him to bed, and then washed Danny's face with cool cloths, and soothed his swollen eyes with more cool cloths. And when he was sleeping easier, but still so exhausted, Steve found his own phone and sent a text to Dr. Cornett to find Danny a new therapist immediately. They'd talk in the morning.

Then Steve curled next to Danny, on top of the covers, and when the nightmare came, he soothed it away before Danny awoke, and Angel watched over Danny the whole time Steve got the kids ready for school, allowing Danny to keep sleeping, because God knew he needed it.

.H50.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Reviews are very welcome.


	67. Chapter 67 Brothers

**Chapter 67** "Brothers"

 **A/N:** (5 August 2017) Omigosh, thank you so much for the touching and heartfelt reviews for Ch. 66! I half thought I'd get lynched, so this is so much better! So much caring for these two brothers / partners – I was so touched by what you all said! Thank you!

There was literally nothing else I could name this chapter. It took forever to write, so I hope it works. Let me know if it doesn't! Or if it does! I hope it does!

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 67** "Brothers"

(Thursday, 12 January 2017, 9:30 a.m.)

The curtain was open, and the sun was shining half-heartedly through the sheers, sending pale shadows across the room that told the occupant of the bed that it was way past the time he usually awakened and got up. Danny had opened his aching eyes and looked around, disoriented, until he realized he was in Steve's room. In Steve's bed.

He didn't know how he got there, but he could guess. Angel was with him, sitting on his sternum, reaching out to pat his chin and purr fondly at him. He untangled an arm from the blanket and ran his hand down her back, and she arched in pleasure. But between pets, she still patted Danny's chin. That meant she was hungry.

Danny knew he had to get up and feed her. Which would mean facing the man who had taken such thoughtful care of him after his breakdown.

He felt a little embarrassed. Maybe a lot embarrassed. Or maybe embarrassed wasn't the right word. He wasn't sure which it was.

He remembered breaking down. The closet he'd been trying so hard to keep closed even if it was crammed full of things had blown apart and he could not stop the words, the emotions pouring from him. Fears, old and maybe not so old, new ones, too. Hurts. Regrets, horrors. His aching head and ribs were proof of crying harder than he had before, ever. His paper dry eyes and outraged sinuses told him he had crumbled completely before his brother, Steve, the only person he could do that in front of. He still wasn't sure about the others in his life, except one, and that was his doctor. And he remembered how Steve held him up and then kept him from falling down, how he gave him water to drink, listening, taking care of him, while Angel leaned against him, alternately purring and meowing her little heart out.

He couldn't stop looking at the heavy curtain pulled back, and the pale blue sheers letting in that light. Steve had done that for him, so he wouldn't feel claustrophobic in the dark room when he awakened. Because Steve always slept in a dark room, and often as not didn't open the curtains at all, not in this room. The rest of the house would be bathed in light, but this sleeping room would be dark, unless the light was on.

But Steve knew Danny needed to see the space around him, that he kept the curtains open, and if he could, the windows too, to let in air and sound.

Danny rubbed his moistening eyes, praying he wasn't going to cry again, but glad to ease that bone-dry feeling. He truly had someone who knew him and cared about him looking out for him, even in the small ways most people would never have thought of. Angel harrumphed and he gave her back some more pets, using both hands, to thank her for being his non-human someone who cared about him and knew him. "I'll get your breakfast, Little Angel. What do you want today? Chicken?" No reaction. "Beef?" A look of disgust. "Or tuna?" Purrs so big they needed neon lights!

"Or salmon?" asked Steve, carrying in Angel's food bowl amongst all the other things on the bed tray he was holding. The little white kitten had just caught a whiff and was wrapping around Steve's ankles faster than Danny could see her jump off the bed and greet the Carrier of The Bowl of Wonderfulness.

Steve put down the bowl in the corner, and petted Angel while she tucked in with great enthusiasm.

"Did you just steal my cat?" Danny asked, smiling sheepishly, his heart pounding because he wasn't sure if Steve would feel comfortable with him after his emotional purge.

Steve smiled, entirely himself, and something extra Danny wasn't sure he had a word for yet. His face looked relaxed and open, and … understanding. He had a whole tray with him, and he approached the bed. "I think even God would have trouble stealing Angel from you." He appraised Danny's almost shy countenance, and said, "So, I sent the kids off to school, Hannah came and got them. Everyone says they love you. But Hannah loves me more. I made you pancakes. Us, actually. Do you mind if I eat with you?"

"No," answered Danny, and he finally figured out what it was in Steve's mannerisms, his actions. He didn't find any weakness in what Danny had done.

Danny swung his legs out from under the blanket and pushed himself to sit, unwittingly grimacing from the aching after-effects of his breakdown. He didn't have a muscle that didn't hurt, and some downright felt strained, especially across his abdomen and forehead.

"Here," said Steve in that caring voice he wasn't faking as he held out two tablets and a glass of water. "I brought you Tylenol and water and juice, and the meds Dr. Cornett said you should have with breakfast."

"Oh." Danny could tell by looking at the tablets on the napkin next to his plate of pancakes that he would be taking a 5mg diazepam, a10 mg propranolol, an antihistamine that would not make him drowsy or bouncing off the walls, and some vitamins and mineral supplements.

He didn't argue. But he took the Tylenol first, realizing as soon as he sipped the water that he was immensely thirsty. "You knew just what I needed." The words came out like a tender new leaf testing out a new world, the one where Danny and Steve both knew they were brothers. He remembered how Steve had held him, skin to skin, their liver transplant scars nearly becoming one scar. The thought made his throat tighten and eyes glisten. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Steve, his eyes showing that he understood between the lines of what Danny was saying. It made Danny want to cry again, except that crying was absolutely the last thing in the world he wanted to do with his head pounding the way it was. So he cleared his throat, and took the other pills before Steve glanced at them, because he knew Steve would do that sooner or later, while yet not saying a word. As loud as Danny had occasionally been accused of being, Steve could be that quiet, yet still heard.

Pancakes with syrup and strawberry jam were savored, along with orange juice, fresh pineapple slices, crispy bacon and perfectly scrambled eggs. Danny made appreciative sounds while he ate, and he left nothing on his plate. He knew he had told Steve about how he had stopped eating anywhere near properly, and was letting him know he had started eating right again. He was determined to recover.

"Where's the cabbage?" Danny asked just as Steve took a drink of his own orange juice. Steve sprayed the tray, Danny, and the bed.

"With pancakes? Danny! How gross!"

Danny chuckled and wiped orange juice droplets off his chest. "Seriously, Steve, thanks. This was really good."

Steve nodded. "You're welcome." He settled the tray over on his dresser, and sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard. "So, I called Dr. C, and he wants to see you this afternoon. At 2 o'clock."

"But my therapy …."

"Dr. C thought you might want to go over who is available to replace your former therapist. She's history, Danny. If she doesn't see you as a person, she isn't right for you, you are right about that. So he's looking over some, and I thought if you don't mind that I could come along as moral support. I can stay out of the way, or help you two out, whatever you want. Oh, and Doc wants to give you a little checkup. And Becca is working today, which I know you already know, but she's free after 3:30 p.m., which is when Hannah will be by if we all wanted to do something fun. She's picking up the kids from school, and we could all head for the water park, or something. Get burgers after, or whatever sounds good!"

Danny was relieved about the therapist, and … everything. "I'd like that. I don't …." He cleared his throat. "I don't think I could have stomached seeing that therapist again, not after … last night. I dreaded it every day."

"From what you said, I would've too." He gave Danny a pat on the shoulder. "Okay, I gotta wash some bedding, you wanna take care of the dishes? Angel just discovered there was bacon up here somewhere."

"Still is." He grinned slyly as he slipped the end of a slice out of his napkin, and fed it to his overjoyed kitten who crunched it and then chased all the little bits to wherever they had landed, leaving the bed bacon-less and her tummy very happy. Danny scooped up his kitten, gave her pets and kisses, and felt pretty darn good about the world. "Steve, you haven't had your swim, yet, right?"

"Not yet."

"You start on your required 48 miles and I will start the laundry and the dishes. Then maybe I can swim a little with you as you finish up."

Steve beamed, his sea colored eyes catching a ray of sunlight from the window. "Okay. You're sure you feel up to it?"

"I don't feel up to 48 miles, but a couple, maybe three. Yeah. Waterproof your cast."

"Yeah. I will." There was nothing but comfort between the two men.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny gathered the bedclothes while Angel frisked out to the living room to search out one of her toys. She picked out the one that looked like a weird combination of bird and something with a long fluffy tail. It had a tiny rattle inside, which drove her insane while she batted it all over the place. Danny heard her battle sounds and that little rattle while he started the washing machine, and then did the dishes, feeling more relaxed than he had in possibly even a year or two. He did not analyze the feeling beyond that.

After the dishes, he went to Charlie's room, where one dresser held his own clothes. He changed into his pale blue with the brick red drawstring waist board shorts, pulling them on over a black speedo since Charlie had done something with his jock strap and he couldn't find it. Charlie thought it was a sling shot, and he used it to shoot his clothes and socks especially all over his room, which embarrassed the hell out of Danny because Grace knew what it was, and even hiding it on the shelf in the closet hadn't stopped Charlie: there was a chair by the desk, and on it he could reach the shelf. The explanation that it was part of Daddy's underwear hadn't phased Charlie for a second. "It doesn't look like boxers or undiepants to me!" he had chortled, and even Steve wasn't quite up to the task of explaining the purpose of the jock strap to the little boy.

But almost worse than that was that Angel had a tendency to find it and pull it out when Becca and /or Hannah were over, because she thought it was a toy, too, and as a kitten she was very capable of hiding it in the strangest, most embarrassing places. Once she had left it on the front Welcome mat. Lou Grover had stopped by for a visit, and he entered the house twirling the thing around his right index finger, looking a combination of startled and on the verge of a belly laugh.

Danny scowled as he did every time he caught his reflection in the mirror. His hair was looking half electrocuted, half flat. He could not wait for it to grow back so he would see himself. He decided not to shave, since he'd be taking a shower after swimming, and he could shave then. He didn't bother with sunblock since it would be such a short swim.

Angel had worn herself out playing and was napping in a sunbeam by the window, sprawled out, showing her tummy to the world. Danny grabbed his phone and took a photo of her. His phone was now full of pictures of his kids, his cat, and Becca, all the Cornetts, and Steve. Chin, Abby and Kono were seldom around since their cousin had been moved to a hospital in San Francisco that specialized in stroke after care. Abby went with Chin, since she was familiar with San Francisco and had family that provided them with temporary housing whenever they needed it. But it also meant there was strain between Kono and Adam, since he could not accompany her. He still did not have a job, and had to stay on Oahu to be close to his parole officer. Because of the financial strain, Adam and Kono were having to move into a small apartment rented to them by yet another relative, because of Adam's still fairly recent stint in Halawa Correctional Facility. Most apartment complexes would not even read their application, despite Kono being a member of the Five-0 task force.

Danny had not been told any of this directly. He had overheard a snippet of conversation here or there, and added it up in his mind. He did hope to maybe get to speak to either Chin or Kono about what he had realized during his emotional breakdown. And he also knew he would be writing about this and the events of the night before. His journal would take up his evening, once things quieted down.

He put the thoughts about that out of his mind. He felt good, though tired. He felt a lighter load on his shoulders than he had in such a long time.

He put his phone on the table by the backdoor, then out Danny went, closing the door behind him. He walked across the soft grass in his bare feet and approached the gate, experiencing a small surge of nervousness. Was Mrs. Benson nearby, waiting to ambush him? He looked around, and did not see her. But he saw Steve, out in the water, talking to someone in a boat which had been anchored a mile or so offshore in their vicinity for a few days. Someone fishing, or visiting one of their neighbors? He saw that the boat had a covered cabin overhang and an inflated small Zodiac floating behind it. It was a very common sight all around the islands.

Just as Danny opened the gate, Steve turned toward his house and then waved at Danny, and began to swim back to his house after saying goodbye to the guy on the boat. Danny decided to swim out and meet Steve, then swim the rest of the way back. He felt tired, but was looking forward to the exercise.

Danny met up with Steve a third of a mile off shore, and they talked a little, mostly enjoying the water and working their muscles. Danny asked about the guy in the boat, and Steve laughed and splashed him with water. "He's visiting from the East Coast, and has relatives here. He is not a fisherman, I can tell you that. Ed Lee. He leaves tonight. He is trying to catch a tuna."

"Here? This close to shore?"

"Like I said, he is not a fisherman. But he's enjoying Hawaii."

"Let's do that too." Danny began swimming parallel to the coast, and Steve felt into easy strokes next to him, and the two men swam in peaceful rhythm for about half an hour until Danny stopped and pointed back toward the house.

Steve turned, and they began to swim in rhythm again, until they were maybe a third of a mile from Steve's beach. "Race ya!" called out Steve, already hitting his propellers. Danny put on his own burst of speed, and only lost by a body length. They were laughing as they came out of the water. "Cheater," said Danny, with absolutely no rancor. They grabbed up towels and dried off.

"No," said Steve, grinning his contentment. "I swam maybe 8 miles, and didn't even go at top speed during the race. I didn't want you to lose by much."

"Hahaha," was Danny's smiling response. "I could have gone faster, but I know how you pout when you don't win, so consider yourself paid back for the pancake breakfast."

"Oh, so you are saying you let me win?"

"Yes, Steve, that is what I am saying."

"Then we have to do this tomorrow, and make it a real race."

"Let us do that. Now why don't you get your shower, and turn into an acceptably clean human being, and I will sit here and consider my strategy and get my shower after you." Danny lightly popped Steve with his towel.

"Oh, he's asking for it," laughed Steve. "Mr. Williams is going to lose by a quarter of a mile tomorrow, in a mile long race."

"Nuh uh," called Danny as he popped the towel again, against Steve's retreating backside.

"You are in so much trouble!"

"I know. Leave me some hot water."

Steve actually chortled. "Maybe I will, and maybe I won't."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny could not stop smiling as he finished drying off. He noticed the boat was turning, and heading for Steve's beach. He sat in a chair, feeling relaxed. The sun was high and the clouds were way off in the distance. He wished he had brought his journal with him, because for once he had some good things to write about. But he still would in the evening.

He literally felt like he had opened a boil that needed lancing, and now he could feel a little better, and begin to heal. The poison was out, and he could work on his problems, instead of the knot they had made in his life, and of his life.

Finally, healing could begin.

He noticed the man on the boat, who had anchored in water just deep enough to take his boat. He was gesturing to him, so Danny got up and went through the gate, slinging the towel over his shoulder. "Do you need help?" he asked, when he crossed the sand. The man was swimming toward him in a wetsuit, of all things.

"I was going to go skin-diving, but I can't get this tank to work," the man said, and added, "I'm Ed."

"Danny," said Danny, and shook the man's hand. He started to add, "I'm not a diver, but Steve won't be too long. He knows all about -"

He was punched hard on the jaw before he ever saw the fist coming. It spun him around, and he landed on his stomach on the sand, a knee in his back, holding him down. He felt cuffs joining his wrists behind his back before he could even begin to react.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, even as he was flipped over onto his back, and another punch landed, slamming him from the other side of his jaw. He saw stars, and by the time he didn't, his ankles were wrapped in rope, and the man was sitting on his stomach, forcing him to open his mouth, pills bursting into bitter, terrible tastes on his tongue and water poured down his throat, making him swallow again and again before he had enough presence of mind to try to evade the wide piece of duck tape about to seal his mouth shut. "Why? Who the hell are you?" he tried to shout, but it came out arguing with the waves for audibility.

But the man had heard him.

"Bradley Edwards, Stan's brother. Why? Because of you, he's dead. And because of that, you're dead."

Danny froze, eyes wide. The tape was pressed firmly against his lips, two more pieces added for good measure. Then Stan's brother hit Danny on the side of his head with his oxygen tank. Danny was knocked out cold immediately. The towel flew out and lay flat on the sand. He never felt himself being pulled through sand and water and hoisted into the Zodiac, just big enough to hold him laid out slightly on his side, wrists and ankles tied to eyebolts in the inflatable. The motor of the larger boat roared to life, and Danny lay unconscious in the boat tethered behind, following meekly as the larger boat gained deeper water, sped up, and hurtled through small waves to get as far away from Steve's beach until it arced directly into the prevailing wind and kept going.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Mrs. Benson pressed herself into the foliage beside the fence, shaking with fear and alarm. She saw the man hurt Steve, and take him away.

She knew she had to do something, so she approached the gate of the fence, and it was open, so she hurried with her trembling little dog, Teacup, to the back door of the house. She banged on the door with increasing desperation, yelling, "John! John! The man took your boy! John!"

.H50.

A/N: There was a mention in the episode where Rachel gave birth to Charlie that she had a sister-in-law, and we never knew if it was Stan's brother's wife, or her own brother's wife. The show never told us. So I always felt it was Stan's brother, since I thought Danny would have known the name of Rachel's brother's wife, and this person remained nameless.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Reviews are so very deeply appreciated.


	68. Chapter 68 Happy

**Chapter 68** "Happy"

 **A/N:** (7 August 2017) I apologize for scaring everyone with the latest cliffhanger. It had a purpose, which begins to come out in this chapter. The reviews were a testament of how deeply you care about these characters, and I do too. You are all my friends, and I thank you for being honest with me, whether you loved it or thought it was overdoing it. I give you my word, I won't do whump for whump's sake. To the person who stopped following, I'm very sad. But honesty is always appreciated, and that was an honest reaction, and I respect that. I am, however, very glad Bradley Edwards came as a complete surprise. Am I permitted a "YIPPEE" for that? Thank you all! That includes all guest reviews.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 68** "Happy"

(Thursday, 12 January 2017, 12:10 p.m.)

Mrs. Benson, all 4 feet 10 inches of her, kept knocking on the McGarrett back door. She was beside herself with worry after seeing John's son attacked and taken away in the big boat. "John? John! Please come! Oh dear." Her voice was quavery, until suddenly John was striding toward the door, carrying a distraught kitten, and wearing nothing but a white towel.

He opened the door, put the kitten inside the house, and closed the door. "Mrs. Benson! What's wrong?"

"The man in the boat, he came and attacked Steve! He tied him after hitting him! He made him take pills, a handful of different colors, and made him drink. He put tape on his mouth. Silver tape. He hit him on the … the left side of his head with a … a scuba tank. Steve stopped moving, and the man dragged him and swam with him to the boat, where he put him in the inflatable raft the boat was pulling. Steve is bleeding! He's hurt! His hands and feet were turning purple! The man tricked Steve. He said his scuba tank wasn't working right, and then he punched Steve, hard, twice. He said his name was Bradley Edwards. He's going to kill Steve because he said Steve killed his brother, Stan, which I don't believe, John. Steve would never do that!"

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve went white as the towel. He wanted to interrupt and ask questions, but his mind stopped and he listened, unable to get a word out. He looked toward the beach and did not see Danny, but he did see his towel lying on the sand, and the boat was gone. The boat was _gone!_ "Are you sure? Oh God." Oh God oh God oh _God!_ He spoke very fast. "Uh, hang on, let me get my … phone. Uh…yeah, just a second. I'll be just a second. Clothes!"

That explained Angel's panic attack, because now he was having one. He slipped back inside and ran to his room, having snatched up his phone on the way, already calling in HPD to send a squad car to his house immediately, Danny had been taken. He asked to be patched through to Sergeant Duke Lukela, and told him everything Mrs. Benson had told him. "I need a helicopter to pick me up. Alert the Coast Guard. Fine that boat! The Liat Pacific. It's a 25 foot cabin cruiser with a 9-foot Zodiac, tube frame, gunmetal gray, no motor, towed behind it. It left my beach heading, uh, I'll have to tell you that in a minute!" As he spoke into his phone, he was pulling on his clothes so fast, he didn't even realize his shirt was inside out. He grabbed his keys, put Angel in the bathroom with her cat box, and ran back outside.

"How long ago?"

"I'd been knocking on your door for at least ten minutes, maybe more."

 _Oh God!_ "Show me where. I'm so glad you told me. Could you tell me again?"

Mrs. Benson did so as Steve sprinted to the beach, where he saw all the evidence he needed to confirm her story. Imprints where Danny's body had impacted the sand, Danny's towel, the indentation that was clearly handcuffed wrists, with pressure on them, as if the other man had sat on him to keep him down; and there was blood, enough that it indicated a fairly deep wound. The hand marks, and no boat off shore. Instead, he could see where the water had not settled from the propeller disturbing sand and marine flora just off the beach, and a trail of a slight sheen of oil from a boat engine that might have a slight leak in one of the tubes.

And no Danny.

"Which way, Mrs. Benson? Which way did the boat head?"

She pointed. Teacup whimpered.

Steve called Duke again, gave the additional information. "Heading NNW. How long till the helicopter arrives here?"

"Five minutes." He'd swim out and be pulled up by a cable. It was a lot faster than driving in to HPD and going from there to the choppers.

Steve turned quickly to Mrs. Benson. "What was Bradley Edwards wearing?"

She waved her free hand in the air. "A scuba suit, dark. From his head to his toes."

Steve turned back to the phone, and Duke again. "Suspect last seen in a head-to-toe dark colored scuba diving suit. But when I talked with him, he was in a blue and green aloha shirt and green, uh, shorts. Not board shorts, more like bermudas. Bare feet. Weapons, unknown, assumed armed and dangerous."

Stan's brother, Bradley. Steve cursed under his breath. He'd talked to the man, and hadn't recognized him. He had changed drastically from his photos, with hair loss, weight loss, pale, blotchy skin. He needed info yesterday! Since Chin and Kono were off the island again, on their way to San Francisco, he called Lou Grover, and after hesitating a few seconds, Adam Noshimuri, Kono's husband who was still out of work, but had useful connections. He needed people he could count on, and he needed them NOW!

Lou and Adam agreed to start searching every detail they could dig up on Bradley Edwards, and every alias they could think of. He had given Lou the access code to the Five-0 offices, and Adam would meet him there. "Change the X to a K, the 5 to a 7, and it's the same one we used when you were on the payroll." Steve gave Lou a description, explaining how Bradley's appearance had changed since the photos they had on file: extreme weight loss, paleness, hair loss, making him look older. Blotchy skin. "He gave Danny pills, and I need you to find where he was staying and see if you can find out what those pills were, and where he got them, but the what is more important than the where they came from."

God, he was worried about Danny. Unconscious, bleeding, threatened (again) with death at the hands of someone with the last name Edwards ….

Duke and Pua arrived in squad cars at the same time, with the Crime Processing Unit. Steve saw a bottle floating in the water a short distance off his beach, so he dove in and retrieved it, slipping it into an evidence bag.

He had barely spoken to Duke and Pua before the police helicopter arrived, so he swam out to where they could drop a line down to him. As soon as he was in the chopper, he was handed two thick towels, and reported everything while he received what was known about the Liat Pacific.

It was a rental, and as the chopper swung NNW, a call came in from one of the Coast Guard boats. "Liat Pacific, Zodiac in tow, position as follows! Position stationary for now." Coordinates were given, the chopper slightly changed course, and flew in fleet pursuit. Thirty-two minutes had passed since Danny had been taken. Five minutes later, an update was given. "Suspect in sight, using high powered binoculars. Suspect and hostage confirmed in Zodiac. Hostage is moving, he is alive! Bound. He looks unwell, groggy. Medevac requested! Hostage given clear liquid to drink, there is substantial blood on the left side of his head. Wait, he is now gagged, looks like a medical device, not sure. It is locked in place. Being given more liquid to drink … fighting it … unsuccessfully. Binding on wrists now, uh … Danny is face down, wrists now secured by line tied to tow rope. Knots … unreachable. Ankles, I can't see, but must be too … he's stretched out and not touching the Zodiac except for his maybe lower legs and feet. He will need help to free himself. He's quite sick with repeated bouts of vomiting. Suspect has returned to Liat Pacific, she's moving again, high speed, same course. Holding steady. Continuing. Wait! Suspect climbing back into Zodiac, small handgun is visible! We are not in range to engage, only slowly gaining! Repeat, suspect with Hostage in Zodiac! He has a gun! Update! Suspect _overboard_ , repeat, _overboard!_ Liat Pacific and Zodiac continuing on course away from suspect. Omigod, sharks in area, confirmed sighting. Hostage appears to be bleeding, sharks are swarming the Zodiac, bumping it. Guys, get here fast! We will rescue as soon as we get in range! Wait! Update! Zodiac is taking on water! Repeat, Zodiac is taking on water! We cannot catch the Liat unless you guys can get someone on board to stop it! Get a Medevac out here, now! Hostage appears in distress, medical assistance required. No sign of suspect, but sharks are thrashing in a secondary location. Hostage now appears to be unconscious."

Steve thought he would have a heart attack. The HPD chopper had already called for a Tripler Medevac. "Tell them to make sure Dr. Cornett is on it, or standing by when the chopper lands!" ordered Steve, his face both worried and stone-like.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny regained consciousness, feeling like Steve was driving on the ruttiest road ever, except he felt and smelled the saltwater, and remembered the boat. He must have been carried onto it. And he was trying to figure out why he felt so nauseous because he didn't get seasick. His eyes were shut, and no matter how hard he tried to open them, something held them shut. He felt unbelievably nauseous. His head hurt terribly, but the nausea was even worse. He was dying. It felt that bad. His mouth tasted of salt. He groaned in misery, tried to curl into a ball, and that is when he realized his ankles were crossed and tied to something. His feet were numb. He wondered if he still had feet.

He then he felt his hair grabbed and pulled back, forcing his head back sharply and his mouth opened, and more liquid was immediately poured down his throat. Salty water. Very very very salty water. He started to fight, to gag and could not swallow any more water. It dribbled down his cheeks, past his ears. Then something else, something metal, was put in his mouth, and suddenly he heard a ratcheting sound and his mouth was so wide open, he thought his jaw would break. It was some kind of gag, but not one he was familiar with. He could not fight the thing or close his mouth even a little, no matter how hard he tried. The hinges of his jaw ached, sharply. And he didn't understand it. He felt something pulling on his cheeks, keeping the gag in his mouth, Something yanked hard against the back of his neck, and then the pressure stopped increasing. It hurt, and his teeth started to ache, too.

Danny thought he could not possibly feel worse. Dizzy. Head aching. Trying not to hurl. More salt water was poured in his mouth, and he gagged on it and only swallowed a little.

"More! I need you to experience hell before you die! Fire, this awful sickness, and then death will be a relief for you!" An angry voice demanded it, and the bottle jammed into his mouth, squeezed so the liquid went straight down his throat so he had no choice but to swallow everything given him. It felt like a lot, and he was afraid because he knew it wasn't just water. This was salty, too, and something else he could not figure out. Danny felt dizzy and hot and cold as the liquid went down his throat. Whenever he thought he couldn't feel worse, he did.

"Oh, that stuff will turn you inside out, you'll be dehydrated fast, making everything else worse. You will experience hell." Danny thought he already was. He knew he was going to die unless help came very quickly.

His wrists were now in front of him, tied with tight, scratchy rope instead of handcuffs. He could feel his wrists bleeding, but had no sensation in his hands, no movement. But he felt when his wrists were yanked away from his body, stretching him toward something, so he was face down, yet from the knees upwards his body wasn't touching anything. His shoulders were straining. The bouncing and jolting of whatever he was in made the stretch of his body hurt enough that he groaned again. He tried to ask for mercy, but words were impossible to form with his mouth gagged open by that metal thing. And Bradley would never have shown mercy. He was going in the opposite direction in everything he had done.

"I like groaning, Danny boy. Keep doing that. Right now you want to hurl, but in a little while, you will; you'll be sicker than you've ever been in your life. So just feel wretched. You are positioned so you won't choke on it. No easy out for you! And you can't get loose or ease that stretch. I know knots. You're stuck. I thought a lot about what I was going to do to you. So now you know you shouldn't have killed Stan. And we both know it's your fault he's dead. I think you are ready. After I do this, then I'll leave you alone awhile."

Danny didn't even listen to most of what Bradley said, because he was feeling every second that he was going to be sick. He felt feverish and clammy, shaking, weak, every bad feeling there was. But then Bradley punched him in the gut, and that started the vomiting, which happened over and over and over and over again, until Danny wished he could just die and get it over with. He had never felt so sick in his entire life. He was gasping and moaning when the interlude finally ended, and still he knew it would happen again, for the nausea was only the smallest amount alleviated.

It wasn't until later and a couple more epic rounds of sickness that he realized Bradley had left him in the Zodiac, which he felt bump and bounce against the ocean waves as the bigger boat picked up speed again.

Still feeling green, unable to see or speak, he hung on because there wasn't any other choice. But he felt the change in the Zodiac when Bradley returned.

"Yeah. I'm liking that moaning and retching, Danny. But I need you to feel one more thing. I heard my brother was shot because of you. Twice. So I owe you two bullets."

Danny, heard the gunshots and felt the searing pain in side of his left thigh, another hot slice just across the top of the same thigh, a graze, unlike the first one.. He cried out, his whole body jerked, and he felt blood running down his leg, heard it dripping onto the floor of the Zodiac. It brought on another bout of de-eating, which lasted long enough that Danny was dizzy and faint by the time it eased.

But he had also heard other sounds while he was groaning between intervals of sickness. One sound had been a weird, ululating cry of fright, which he knew wasn't him since the metal thing holding his mouth open wouldn't allow him to make that sound. Plus, there was a splash. Danny heard the sound of the boat tearing through the water, the cries getting further and further away, suddenly growing in strength and terror as the Zodiac bucked and bounced differently, as if it were carrying less weight.

Had Bradley fallen overboard? Something had happened. The boat was lighter, and Danny heard the sloshing of vomit in the bottom of the boat. It had almost no smell, which was a blessing. Then something bumped the little inflatable boat being towed. The bump and another bounce turned Danny into yet another round of violent expellations as his thigh and the rest of him shrilled out in pure pain, but he had no time to moan between bouts of sickness until this time, when it let up, he actually did feel infinitesimally better. On a misery scale of 1 to 10, he now only felt a 15.

But he became aware of another sensation. He could not feel his feet, but now he could feel water sloshing against his ankles. That second shot. It must have punctured the floor of the boat, and he was bleeding. These were shark waters.

Fear shot like lightning up his spine. If the Zodiac was taking on water, he was soon to be shark bait. Once it sank, he was done for. If he was lucky, he would drown before the sharks realized he was bleeding. He would drown, or feed sharks. Or drown, and then feed sharks. Death was minutes away.

So this was it, he realized. He was about to die.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny turned to prayer, and prayed for his family, his friends, and said a quiet internal goodbye to each, with all the love he could find in his deeply loving heart. And in that moment, when he was facing certain death, in whatever short span of time he had left, he realized the saying was true: the only thing we take with us is the love. He made his peace with this world, forgave Bradley and Stan and Rachel, Stella, Matty, and asked God to look over and bless those closest to his heart. Since he was barely hanging on to consciousness anyway, he finally let go of that, and drifted into a stupor filled with beauty and light, the opposite of the darkness with which his conscious world surrounded him. His fight was nearly over. He was content in knowing he had done the best he could, and that the people he loved all knew it, and that even Angel would be okay.

He didn't hear Steve call his name, or feel the hands encircling him with a harness, the removal of the gag and the ropes, being raised through the air into the waiting police helicopter, Steve's grip on him gentle but not about to let him go.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve held Danny, as an Officer worked with incredible gentleness to put a temporary bandage on the damaged leg, the rope-damaged skin of ankles and wrists. When the transfer was made to the Coast Guard vessel, Steve went with his partner and brother, as well as the very quick transfer to the Tripler Medevac helicopter. Dr. Cornett went to work at once, and Steve needed Tylenol because Danny's skin was badly sunburnt, his fever was high, he was dangerously dehydrated, but Dr. Cornett said he would make it; they had reached Danny in time, and Steve could not decide if he was crying from relief or how close they had come to losing Danny again.

Before they reached Tripler, Danny briefly came around. Dr. Cornett had managed to find the right compound to release the tape safely from his eyes, so he could see again, albeit fuzzily. Clearly in pain, he nevertheless smiled with friendly, contented recognition at his doc. "Hi, Dad. Will I live?" he asked, and Dr. Cornett was glad he was wearing a mask when he answered, because his lip and chin were quivering, and his voice came out husky. "Yup, Son. Full recovery ahead."

Danny smiled. "Good. Wasn't really done yet. Want to marry Becca."

Then he shifted his gaze to Steve, and held Steve's gaze silently for several seconds before he whispered through chapped lips coated with healing balm, "Thank you, Brother. Love you. Your shirt's inside-out."

Steve swallowed around the golfball in his throat. "Love you, Brother. H-How do you feel?"

Danny smiled weakly and closed his eyes, preparatory to falling asleep again. "Happy," he said clearly. Steve and Dr. Cornett both grabbed fistfuls of Kleenex.


	69. Chapter 69 Recuperation

**Chapter 69** "Recuperation"

 **A/N:** (13 August 2017) Thank you all who managed to get through Chapter 68. To all who left reviews, thank you. To those who didn't manage, it's okay, this story is not usually that whumpy. It was difficult to write, too. It took 17 straight hours including a sleep-free night to write, rewrite, tweak, tweak some more, delete extraneous stuff, make part A and part C's details match, fix the tension so it was tense rather than almost clinical, and on and on and on, all that the writer has to do to get something post-worthy.

This one isn't as bad, but it's not quite a picnic; just know that a lot of good is interspersed with details of getting Danny better. The overall tone is positive, even if some of the details are not. This took as long to write, but I didn't do it in one sitting. From here on out, things won't be so heavy. We have hit and moved past the crescendo. Good stuff lies ahead.

The reason for 68 was that we needed to know how Danny faced a trial that had nothing really to do with the box and stuff related to it. The fact that Stan's brother is the baddie is only incidental, since the tie-in is weak.

Please don't fear this chapter. It shows a lot of Danny's character. I hope you will leave a review if you feel so inclined. Thank you.

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0.

 **Chapter 69** "Recuperation"

(Friday, 10 February 2017, 4:30 a.m.)

It was exactly four weeks and two days since Bradley Edwards had snatched Danny off Steve's beach and almost killed him. Steve would never forget the moment the police chopper had caught up to the Liat Pacific, and he and another police officer had dropped down on cables to rescue the unconscious Danny before the Zodiac sank.

It was a tricky rescue since there was no time to stop the Liat before beginning. The inflatable had already taken on too much water and was threatening to sink, plus the bullet that had gone through the floor of the inflatable had also nicked the side and was letting air escape from one side of the raft. Danny was in real danger if a shark breached nearby. It would swamp and / or tip the Zodiac, and Danny was bleeding too much for a breach to not happen very soon.

The rescue plan was as simple as two men in harnesses dropping down on cables, cutting Danny free, getting the harness on him and clipping leads from it to each man, then pulling up the two men hanging onto Danny as fast as they could, bringing Danny with them. But keeping the chopper and the boat's speed matched was as tricky as everything else, since it required the chopper to fly perfectly so that the cables holding Steve and the other officer did not sway and make it harder to keep hold of Danny once his harness was snapped to each of theirs.

Already the sharks were excited, and the boat was so low in the water, Steve and the other officer had gotten Danny cut loose and in the harness in a virtual photo finish, raising up toward the hovering helicopter just as a large tiger shark launched out of the water, missing Danny's dangling feet by less than a meter, smashing down on the inflatable, taking a bite out of it and making it sink that much faster.

Steve still had nightmares. From his angle, he had thought the shark would reach Danny.

But Danny didn't know about the breaching shark because the few men who knew saw no reason to tell him.

As for the Liat, another Coast Guard Cutter had been sent from Kauai to intercept it. It had done so close to an hour later, and by then the Zodiac's tow rope had been bitten through. It had been found later that day, barely floating, damaged far beyond repair.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve stood in the dark living room, behind a large plant that stood near the back door, and watched Danny sleeping peacefully on the couch. Angel was curled up in a ball, smiling and asleep, in the little cocoon made for her with his blanket and his arms, his wrists no longer even needing light bandages. His hair had grown out enough that he could style it somewhat in his usual style, although sleep had mussed it in a way he knew Becca loved because, with Danny staying at his house, he could not help but overhear some of the private conversation between the two soulmates. Becca loved to run her fingers through Danny's hair, and from the growls and love sounds Danny made when she did it, he loved it too. Of course, Becca's brown curls got the same attention, and Steve would steer the kids clear of the porch swing when those two were together there.

Steve's smile brightened his whole face when he thought of how much Danny and Becca loved one another. Becca was made for Danny. They were literally a perfect pairing.

He remembered with a more serious face how she had been waiting for the Medevac flight to land at Tripler, as had Hannah, arms around her worried twin sister. Becca had burst into tears of anguish at seeing the damage done to Danny – his very red sunburn from the photosensitive reaction to the medicines Stan's brother had forced him to take, bleeding head, left leg, both wrists and ankles lightly bandaged, multiple IV hydrating solutions (non-saline at this time), and a whole blood IV plus antibiotic. Of the six IV ports, four were in use.

In fact, when Dr. C analyzed the drugs Lou and Adam had quickly found in Bradley Edwards' hotel room, which was mercifully easy to track down, he had realized that, while the medications varied widely and were in all but one case over-the-counter and only dangerous in extreme overdose situations, they had two reactions in common: the ones given to him on Steve's beach mostly caused extreme photosensitivity, resulting in severe first degree sunburn bordering in places on second degree over Danny's entire body, in a short time, while one of the beach-given meds and everything in the water bottles was meant to cause the extreme nausea and vomiting that had resulted in Danny's rapid dehydration and severe misery by the time the doctor was able to treat him even in the helicopter, less than ninety minutes after Danny was taken from Steve's beach. Danny's entire body, even the parts covered by the thin material of board shorts, had been in the sun for an hour by the time he had been rescued from the Zodiac. He was protected by tarps or roofs from then on, but his skin was red and hot already.

However, Dr. Cornett had been ready to begin treatment immediately, and that had made a great deal of difference in his prognosis for full recovery. Even on the Medevac flight, before Danny had regained consciousness, water was pumped into his stomach, to mix with the salt that had precipitated out of what he had been forced to drink and had coated his stomach lining, and he was literally rolled as gently as possible from side to side, to mix the water and salt, which was then immediately sucked back out with the pump on reverse. This was done thrice until the pH of Danny's stomach contents no longer read alkaline.

Had Danny been awake and aware, he would have been beyond the scope of miserable, so it was a good thing he was unconscious during this whole process, which did not take long, less than twenty minutes. It would take another 30 minutes to reach Tripler. As soon as the stomach pump had done its work, Dr. Cornett gave Danny drugs to alleviate any lingering nausea. Anyone who knew Danny knew that he did not deal well with nausea. Some people could toss and be fine ten minutes later. Danny felt like he was dying at the first wave of queasiness, and anything beyond that was the equivalent of dying. That was why Steve and everyone else had been so appalled at Danny's repeated bouts of vomiting, and even the treatment he had had to undergo once Dr. Cornett made haste to rinse and pump his stomach had caused them distress. They didn't want him to regain consciousness while it was happening. After that, Danny, though in pain, had briefly regained consciousness, and the Kleenex box made the rounds because the formerly miserable patient was now happy, glad to be alive. Ten or fifteen minutes earlier, his reaction might have been very different.

Steve would never forget Danny's return to consciousness. From then on, Danny called Dr. Cornett "Dad," and Steve settled on Doc. Cornett called them both, often as not, "Son," and while Steve knew it pleased Danny, he was not sure why he had started referring to his own father with the very formal "Father" rather than the previously affectionate (or perhaps merely habitual) Pop or Dad. He would ask eventually, but right now, he was content just to see Danny happier than he had in a long time, and settling into his latest new lease on life. In fact, today Danny and Becca were taking their third look at the house they had decided to purchase in advance of their marriage. Steve personally thought it was a perfect house, and had his fingers crossed that they signed the papers and could begin preparations for moving. He would miss Danny terribly, and all the people he brought with him. But he also had to admit that he and Hannah wanted to start making plans for what to do with this house to make it theirs. Since the two houses were a mere ten minutes apart, it would probably end up feeling like each couple had two houses instead of one.

Danny really was doing much better. They got lucky because Danny had not gotten a concussion from the blow delivered by Bradley with the scuba tank. It had managed to hit him at an angle that only split the skin as well as leave a nasty bruise, but did not cause any damage to his brain. He had the gash and bruise, a whopper of a headache, but zero concussion.

The worst part of Danny's healing had been the painful sunburns, but Dr. Cornett had talked to Danny when he regained consciousness again only ten minutes from landing at Tripler. He had explained everything Danny was facing, everything they had to do to get him well, and that things would feel worse before they felt better. Such was the nature of burns.

Danny remembered the awful pain in his thumb, from his time in the box. Just his thumb had reduced him to miserable. He knew he was in for a much bigger fight this time. Dr. Cornett had warned him that the pain would worsen for 4 days, hit a peak, and finally begin to ease. Danny was at the time weak, not yet fully hydrated, feverish, pumped full of medications treating the fever, plus antibiotics and as much as they could give him for pain. He sighed, swallowed like one about to take on a foe he was determined to best but was not sure he could, said an internal prayer, and nodded that he understood, and that his doctor should proceed as necessary.

He had come through like a trooper, allowing multi-port IVs in each arm to administer the multiplicity of required medications. None of them would forget the quiet determination of Danny to endure the first days of the sunburn, when it grew worse despite any helpful treatment, sinking Danny into a silent hell that could not be relieved. During those days, he spoke only to his new therapist, his doctor, and the chaplain, while he dealt with the facts of what Bradley Edwards had done to him, as his ohana stayed by his side as much as they could, only able to touch the tips of his fingers, because everything else was too painful.

Steve, Becca, Hannah, and a nurse accompanied Danny on the three daily walks he had to make, to keep his swollen skin from stiffening, would sit with him before and after, read to him, watch TV with him, sit quietly when he needed to rest, and simply be with him except when he was being medicated with hydrating lotions, or bathed. He did allow them to feed him as his hands healed, but he didn't eat much. His hospital gown was special for burn patients, gossamer light and soft. It still hurt. The blanket under which he slept was laid over a frame placed over him, which did not allow it to touch him anywhere.

Even medicated, sleep was elusive. But he fought on, until the pain almost bested him on the fourth and fifth days. His skin looked scorched, large patches burst out into tiny blisters, including the soles of his feet, his hands. He did not eat, so a nutritional support IV was added to a port, as well as extra hydration. His skin was misted to keep it moist and to cool the heat the burn was still generating. He took no walks those days. He lay as still as possible. He didn't talk at all. Later, when things got better, he told Steve when they were alone that he hadn't dared speak or move, because if he had, he would have started screaming until his voice gave out.

But late on the fifth day, things began to improve, and Danny fell into a deep, exhausted sleep, and Steve and Becca and Hannah and Doc all either outright or surreptitiously burst into tears of relief. He had finally turned the corner. His relief was palpable. His discomfort lessened every day, and as he felt better, he was able to walk more, move more, anything that would build back his strength. He began eating like a hungry horse, and sleeping like his now-happy kitten, who had not been allowed to touch him since he was brought in on the Medevac flight. Now Angel could spend time with him, and she seemed to understand that she should not stand or walk on him yet. At night, he still used the barrier between him and the blanket, and Angel would sit or lay on it and gaze lovingly at Danny, purring.

On the eighth day, he was able to go home to Steve's house.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve had trouble dealing with what Danny was going through, so he had begun speaking with the therapist, too, separately from Danny's sessions with Dr. Neolani Aki. She was perfect for Danny, for all of them, because she cared about her patient, his family, and included them all in her work with her patient. To put it the way Danny did, "She made it onto my Christmas card list!"

Neolani made it onto all their Christmas card lists.

Steve could not help but feel that Bradley had met a fitting end. The Coast Guard had found about a third of his remains. The sharks got the rest of him before they could retrieve what remained, which was essentially his chewed-up torso and most of his head. Considering what he had done to Danny, Steve was just sorry the sharks had not finished off even more of him. He had used numbing injections on Danny's hands and feet so he could not have a prayer of freeing himself, and put Danny through the added pain of those drugs wearing off beginning roughly three hours after Danny's rescue. He had even given Danny his last three chemotherapy pills, which had been a major factor in his nausea and sickness.

It had turned out Bradley Edwards had been diagnosed three months earlier with Stage 4 metastatic malignant melanoma, causing a rapidly growing glioblastoma brain tumor and a host of other internal organ tumors, which had resulted in personality and behavioral changes that had caused an already fractured marriage to crumble when he had tried to strangle his wife. She had not pressed charges, but had filed for divorce and fled. They had no children. The strangest part of the whole thing was that Bradley had taken his brother's crimes and death by unfortunate natural causes as the last straw, even though the brothers had hated each other since they were kids. He would make it up to his brother by killing Danny, which made no sense to anyone but Bradley. They had found a rambling, disoriented diary in his hotel room, along with bags of medicines.

He had intended to commit suicide and leave the Liat on course to the middle of nowhere, dragging Danny in the inflatable until the Liat ran out of gas. It was unclear if his going overboard when he did was suicide or accidental. And he couldn't tell anyone, although one especially strange passage in his diary had indicated he wanted to use the gun to kill himself. He had dropped it in the Zodiac after shooting Danny but before going overboard, so the coroner ruled his death an accidental suicide.

Steve tried to feel sorry for Bradley Edwards, but he never quite managed it. Danny and the others tried, too, and some had more success than others. Oddly, Danny took Bradley's plight hard. And, it made him angry. He had never blown all fuses over what Stan and Rachel between them had done to him, but he was furious with how Bradley had wasted the last part of his life, which he should have spent any other way than how he had chosen to spend it. Neolani had explained to all of them that anger was an emotion to be expected from Danny, sooner or later, a healthy and necessary stage in the working-through and letting-go of what had happened to him.

Danny's first glorious neck-vein raising rant after the sunburn pain had eased from untreatable with anything to responding to Tylenol, and he could be touched without wanting to scream, had been about Bradley Edwards' wasted life, and how he was sick to death (perhaps a bad choice of words, under the circumstances) of people who had no right to pick on him of thinking up and doing the worst possible things to him. "If _**I**_ had been a shark, _**I**_ would've refused even to take a _**bite**_ out of _**that**_ piece of _********_ , unless it was his goddamn _**balls and sausage**_ , and even then _**I**_ would have spit them out again!" Silence had fallen on the room while Danny's eyes sparked and almost glowed with blue rage, his breathing rapid, his complexion an angry (as opposed to scorched) red, his voice loud!

Steve, Dr. Cornett, Becca, Hannah, Angel, Lou and Adam and half of that wing of Tripler had all heard Danny's furious, carrying, perfectly enunciated wrath at Edwards. And those that knew Danny tried very hard not to congratulate him, but Steve had finally burst into expressing how heartily he agreed with Danny, as well as stating what a pleasure it was to have a genuine Danny Rant ringing in his ears!

Danny blushed, which was hard to do with a still-red sunburn, and grinned hesitantly, and soon the whole room was full of laughter. From that second onward, Danny's progress toward healing was much speedier than it had been. Neolani was very pleased with the progress they were making in their sessions, and the nightmares were noticeably less frequent.

One difficulty was that no one could tell Danny's kids why their former Uncle had done what he had done, or what had happened to Bradley beyond what the newspapers and television reports said, and this was downplayed because Hawaii was a tourist destination, and Bradley's fate was not one to be overly spread around. The news reports merely said he had died from a shark bite after falling overboard off a boat, causing massive blood loss before rescuers could reach him. While this was true, it was by no means the whole truth.

But Danny knew because he had asked what had become of Bradley, and been told the full truth.

Danny saw his therapist every day, and with Neolani's help, he made steady progress. He had been released from Tripler to return to Steve's house two days after his rant, which was on the afternoon of the sixth day; on the eighth day, he smiled at and thanked everyone who had helped him as he stepped out of the wheelchair, wearing his sunhat, sunglasses, and shirt, pants, and shoes especially for those with sun sensitivity. He had gone through the "NO PICTURES ALLOWED" peeling stage (yes, they had managed to sneak pictures, mostly when he was sleeping. He had to wear sunblock daily, in lotion and clothing form. He had to wear a hat to protect his face and neck outdoors, special sun glasses, and was supposed to limit severely his time in the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Since his entire ohana joined him in these efforts, he didn't complain. He was too busy spending time with everyone, feeling blessed to be alive, and carrying on with his life.

Now Steve could watch Danny sleep in comfort. His skin would be tender for a while, but he was essentially healed. The house's main bath sported a large tube of sunscreen for adults, and another for those under the age of 18, and smaller ones in other rooms. Charlie and Grace, even Steve, Becca and Hannah were now religious users of sunscreen.

Despite everything, Danny had not complained. It did affect him, but he did not internalize it, shut others off from how he was feeling. Now and then he would forget to use the sunscreen, and then remember when he had to pick out what he was wearing that day. Which long-sleeved special-fabric shirt today? Which pants? Shorts were not even on the agenda for swimming, unless it was nightfall or deeply overcast and not in the daylight hours between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. And when he forgot, he would return to the nearest bottle and start slapping on sunscreen, angry at himself for forgetting, not because he had to make these changes to his life.

During his hospital recovery, he had lost another five pounds, bringing the total to eleven. But with returning health and happiness came appetite. He had gained the five back and if he was not careful he would go beyond the remaining six in the weeks to come. It was a pleasure to watch him enjoy his meals again, and he followed a schedule to keep himself hydrated, used lotions suggested by Dr. Cornett's dermatologist to keep his skin healthy.

Steve mused as he watched Danny sleep peacefully that he had come out of his ordeal with a few more phobias. He was deathly afraid of feeling sick to his stomach or vomiting. He felt he had done enough of that to last him the rest of his lifetime, so at the first hint of queasiness, he grabbed for the bottle of anti-nausea pills Dr. Cornett had prescribed him. They melted on his tongue. It was a placebo, and even though he knew it, Danny was still helped by it, especially since nobody teased him about it. It was a harmless crutch, which in time he would no longer need. If he truly felt sick, and it was real, he had another bottle of genuine medication he could take.

Becca, Grace and Hannah often shopped together, and they read labels on cosmetics, lotions, everything, changing much of what they had been using to avoid the same chemicals Danny now was. Even Steve was benefitting from healthier skin, which Danny never seemed to stop marveling at how soft it now was. It spread to Lou and his family, and even Adam, who were being more sun and skin healthy. Grace did a school presentation focusing on the higher number of people who died yearly from skin cancer in Hawaii than anywhere else in the United States, as well as the measures easily taken to prevent overexposure to the sun.

His anxiety was raised, but Neolani and Dr. Cornett had explained to him that his nerves were sensitized to stimulus now, and would remain so while he healed. It might be months or even possibly a year or two before he stopped feeling anxiety so easily. In the meantime, he had chamomile tea, tincture and essential oils of lavender and vanilla, and when he needed it, a mild dose of anti-anxiety medication that would not inhibit his sharpness or effectiveness as he did his job. He practiced stretching exercises to keep muscle tension at bay, did breathing exercises to help him relax, and he journaled to relieve stress. Everyone knew that the garnet red journal meant angry, and the blue journal was everything else. Danny did not spend a lot of time writing in the garnet journal, but when he did, he wrote fast. When he was writing in the blue journal, he tended to savor it and write much more slowly and for longer periods of time.

And every now and then he erupted into a spectacular rant, even by his standards, to release pent-up frustrations or aggravations over whatever set him off, not directed at a person (except a few unlucky people being questioned in the blue room at work), which usually ended as abruptly as it began. He began swimming regularly with Steve, Hannah, and Becca, and they all began lightsaber lessons where Dr. Cornett took his. Grace and Charlie also took these lessons, which were aimed at teaching discipline, respect, self-worth, and kindness towards others.

He was also unwilling to ride in an inflatable boat, unless it was in a closed off lake or shallow lagoon netted off from sharks. Plus, Charlie's plush shark collection was donated, at Charlie's suggestion, to a children's charity. Charlie and his Daddy both disliked sharks now.

But the biggest change of all was that Danny and his children, with Becca accompanying them, began attending Mass as close to daily as they could. The kids didn't have to go; they went because they wanted to. Becca already did, but now Danny wanted to go too, so they went together as the family unit they were becoming.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny stirred just enough to awaken Angel, who yawned and blinked at Steve. Steve took his cue to return to his bed. He didn't want Danny to know that he was being watched over, even though he was. He slid the folding privacy screen with the thin fabric cover across the glass doorway, because he was not the only one who came to watch over Danny at night: Mrs. Benson came by regularly, and got on much better now with "Steve" and his brood. She was scheduled to be moved to a care facility in another month, but her sons had picked out a good one for her, and she would have more than two visitors on a frequent basis. Danny was very grateful to her for saving his life, and she was very grateful to "Steve" for not dying and leaving "John" alone. And Steve was very glad Danny was healthy again, getting stronger every day.

It had been a terrible ordeal, but the future lay ahead, and it looked bright indeed.

.H50.

A/N: Reviews are very appreciated. Thank you for reading.


	70. Chapter 70 Morning

Chapter 70 "Morning"

A/N: (6 September 2017) You are all soooo wonderful and patient, and I have to thank you for those qualities and so many more! I'm woefully late on updating. But there is a reason! Every year the month of August has it in for me, it really does. This one was one lead pipe after another, and right now I'm fighting a bad relapse of my two auto-immune disorders which are just so fun I can't even tell you! Plus, brace on right wrist, smaller brace on left pointer finger. Typing is sllowwwwwwwww. And I can't seem to get enough sleep.

But it could be worse! :D

So here is a shortened version of this chapter, with the next part coming in 71, which will happen much sooner! Pinky swear!

Thank you so much for hanging in here with me! And if you feel inclined, let me know what you think of this chapter.

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

Chapter 70 "Morning"

(Friday, 10 February 2017, 5:00 a.m.)

It was a very small sound which had awakened Danny, sleeping on his right side on the couch with Angel gazing up at him where she was curled in his arms. He knew that sound by heart now: Steve, returning to his room after checking on his houseguest/brother. Danny smiled, yawned, and settled against his pillow, and tweaked the blue, white, and pale yellow crocheted afghan over his shoulder, and gave Angel a few pets and a kiss on her pink nose while she purred softly, well on her way back to sleep. Angel had a way now of daring him to try to get up, so he didn't try. He was comfortable, and content.

It was comforting to know that Steve checked up on him. He knew it had been very hard on his partner to go through everything he had to rescue him, and then try to be patient while he recovered. Had their positions been reversed, as they had been on several occasions, Danny knew the hell he had gone through watching Steve heal after what Wo Fat had done to him, which had ended with Wo Fat dead and Steve lying on a cold, wet concrete floor liberally splattered with his own blood, an oozing bullet crease on the left side of his head. Danny had thought he was dead. It was one of the worst moments of his entire life. Then there was the whole thing in Afghanistan, when he'd thought he'd lost Steve. Plus all the other times. He didn't dwell on the details anymore. He didn't need to. Eyes blackened and swollen shut, bullet holes and blood. He'd seen so many on Steve, and Steve had seen a few on him. They were images they would never forget, emotions that would be there as long as they lived. Even the plane being shot up, that had resulted in Danny donating half his liver to give Steve a chance to survive – how could either of them ever forget that? They had these matching scars down the center of each man's abdomen. They literally shared a liver, Danny's liver. Sometimes it would cross his mind that he had Steve's back if he ever needed a kidney, since he still had two, one to keep, one to donate. And he bet Steve thought about it too. Steve couldn't donate organs now that he was on the anti-rejection meds, but Danny knew he would if he could.

Yeah, Danny and Steve both knew how hard it was to watch someone you loved fighting to survive, physically and emotionally, because some wounds were not physical, or not entirely. Sometimes the physical ones were the easier to recover from. How well each man knew that, and knew the other knew, too.

They always had someone they could talk to about what they were going through.

Angel opened one blue eye and chirped a soft meow at Danny. He petted her gently, and whispered, "I guess you are right, Angel Girl. If it isn't time to feed you yet, I should be sleeping."

Danny snuggled into the pillow and afghan, and within ten minutes was asleep.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Danny woke at 6:30 without any alarm clock but his hungry kitten, and Steve sneaking through the study on his way to the back door. He was in swim shorts and a rash guard neoprene long sleeved shirt. Danny sat up and yawned hugely while Angel crawled all over him asking (for the time being, politely) for her breakfast.

"Danny, hey, I'm sorry to wake you. I was just heading out for a swim." He pointed at Angel. "I see your alarm clock went off."

"Yup, she did." Danny yawned again and sat up. "How's your arm feel without the cast?" Steve had gotten it off the day before.

"Wimpy. I'm going to have to build up the muscles again. How's your leg?"

Danny grinned. "Wimpy." He glanced down at his left leg, the shiny deep red scar on the middle of his thigh, knowing there was a shiny round second scar on the outer part where the bullet had gone right in and managed to do minimal damage. "But it's healed. I'll join you for your swim. Start without me. I'll catch up. Gotta feed Miss I Have Claws and see how the kids are doing."

"Grace is in the shower," Steve informed him. "She said she'll get Charlie up when she gets out. And she said she'd make breakfast."

Danny gaped. "Who is this person pretending to be my daughter? Miss Teenage I Need My Sleep got up without me having to threaten to cancel her phone for a month? Will wonders never cease! On the downside, there goes any chance either of us has of getting a hot shower."

Steve grinned his special grin, saved for the news he shared next. "Hannah and Becca are coming by to take the kids to school, and I know Gracie and Becca have been planning something secretive. You and Becca still going to see the house?"

Danny felt that fluttery happy feeling he always did at mention of or thought of Becca. "Yes. At 11 o'clock, and if all goes according to plan, we sign the papers and get the keys this afternoon. So, Steve, you ready for our secret thing at 7 tonight? We can't put it off any longer, or it will be an epic fiasco. Remember, our cover is a work thing."

"Right. A work thing." He huffed, because he was sure their secret would end in disaster anyway. "Danny, are you sure about this thing? I mean, you know I can't -"

Charlie padded out into the study, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I don't feel good, Daddy. Can I stay home from school?"

Danny felt his forehead and cheek, and didn't feel any fever. "What hurts, Buddy?" Steve had come over to check out Charlie for himself.

Charlie flopped over onto Danny's lap and pouted. "Art class. We have to make cards for our classmates and Lexi expects me to put a big heart on her card and use glitter because she wants me to be her boyfriend."

"Ohhhhhh," Steve said, pouting dramatically in commiseration with Charlie. "Is there a girl you want to make a special card for?"

"Ewwwww! No! Love is gross!"

Danny and Steve exchanged huge bright grins. "Oh it is, Buddy? Well, you like Becca and Hannah, right? You know I love Becca and Steve loves Hannah, right? Is that gross?"

"It is sometimes," said the innocent Charlie. "Bobby told me how babies are made and I think you and Aunt Becca have been trying to make babies, and Uncle Steve and Aunt Hannah have too, and then we'll be overrun with babies, and I don't ever want to do that, make a baby, but I think Lexi does."

Steve harrumphed. "Charlie, you are in kindergarten. You can't make a baby yet. Not until you are a lot older."

Danny rumpled Charlie's hair until he sat up again and tried to straighten out the mess. "So you think me and Becca are trying? What did Bobby tell you, anyway? Because we're not trying to make a baby yet."

Very dramatically, Charlie rolled his eyes and sighed for at least five seconds. "Ohhhhhhhh Daddy. _You just told a fib_."

Danny looked confused and stricken. "No I didn't, Charlie."

Another five second sigh of sadness. "Bobby said when you kiss and stick your tongues in the other person's mouth like you and Aunt Becca do _all_ the _time_ , you are making butterflies in Becca's tummy and they turn into babies. Sometimes. And I've seen Uncle Steve trying to put butterflies in Aunt Hannah's tummy, I've seen it _soooo_ many times. I just can't take it _no more_. _I'm_ the baby, and I wanna keep it that way." Charlie sighed again and flopped back into Danny's lap and started to suck his thumb. Out of habit, Danny moved Charlie's thumb and said, "Too old, remember, Buddy?"

The two men exchanged wordless blushes that said, as clear as if words were used, "I have no clue what to say right now." Finally, Steve blurted, "Danny, he's your kid! You fix it!"

Danny cleared his throat and sat Charlie up again, looking him in the eyes. "Uhm, Charlie. Tongues don't make butterflies and butterflies don't make babies. Bobby got his facts a bit skewed there."

"What's 'ski-ew'?"

"Wrong. Inaccurate. Scrambled."

Charlie was not feeling patient. "Okay, if Bobby is wrong, what _does_ make babies? How _do_ they get in the tummies? And _why_? And how do they get out? It's _so_ confusing!"

Danny's brows furrowed, and he pursed his lips.

Steve put on his most innocent expression and looked up at Danny, now that he was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of Charlie and his father. "I never quite understood that part myself, Danny. How do babies happen?"

Danny's brows came down into his "I am not amused" face, and he leaned forward and shoved Steve over so he rolled onto his back on the floor, laughing. "I just wanna know how you get out of this one! Seriously, I may need this lesson someday!"

"Shut up and go swimming, Steve, and try not to -"

"Uncle Steve is going swimming?" Charlie looked up at his Daddy. "I want to go too!"

Realizing his reprieve from Parental Nightmare Discussion of Not Old Enough Topic Number 4129, he didn't blink as he complained, "But I was just about to tell you how babies -"

"Oh, you can do that later. Can I go swimming with Uncle Steve? _Pweeeeeeeez_?"

"No," said Grace, entering as if on cue, wearing a grownup kimono-style satin bathrobe which made Danny gulp and realize how much she had grown up. "You need to get ready for school, and I need to get breakfast started. I filled the tub, so in you go for your bath, and make sure you wash behind your ears!" Danny wondered when this Mother Hen thing had begun?

Steve picked himself up, then Charlie, and on his way past Grace he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Morning, Gracie. I'm going to help Charlie with his bath, and then -"

"Tell me where babies come from?" finished an excited, giggling Charlie, arms out like an airplane, Steve providing the plane's sound effects. Danny smiled and kept silent.

Steve hesitated, but then continued "flying" Charlie toward the bathroom. "No, I thought you might rather hear about submarines and Naval battles. You have those new toys, right?"

"Oh fun! I want to blow up _everything_!"

"Copy that, Charlie! But all the water has to stay in the tub this time."

After they had vanished into the bathroom, and splashing was heard after the approximate minute and a half it took to get Charlie out of his pajamas, Danny went over to Grace and gave her a hug and a kiss, missing his little baby daughter, but very proud of the woman she had suddenly become. She said, after her, "Good morning, Daddy," very clearly, "You just dodged a bullet."

He nodded. Angel was suddenly sitting on his feet, looking straight up at him, her tail twitching. "I'm dodging another if I make this little lady wait any longer for her nomnoms."

"Meow," agreed Angel, beginning her love circling of Danny's ankles now that she knew food was imminent.

Grace giggled quietly like a kid, for just a moment, and Danny heard her say, on the phone ten seconds later, probably to Will Grover, "Dad just called Angel's food 'nomnoms'!"

H50

I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you 😊


	71. Chapter 71 Virginia

**Chapter 71 "Virginia"**

 **A/N:** (18 October 2017) Argh, I'm sorry for the long delay! My flare(s) got worse, and my ability to write vanished, I had such brain fog. Worst (and longest) flare(s) in ten years. It's like having the fever-flu that never quits, except you don't have the flu. I think things are letting up, so here we go to see if they are. I am so grateful for your patience and understanding. Auto-immune disorder(s) flares are hard to understand when you don't have them. Once upon a time I was healthy. Sigh.

So let's get back to the story! Thank you to all readers who are still with me! I'm still going to try to finish this by Christmas.

Liking season 8 so far!

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0 but our plots and OCs.

 **Chapter 71 "Virginia"**

(Friday, 10 February 2017, 11:15 a.m.)

Danny was watching the brightness of Becca's happy eyes as they surveyed their home. Yes, they had decided to purchase it. They really hadn't needed to take this last look at it to make up their minds, but since it was such an important purchase, they had met the realtor and her sheaf of papers promptly at 11. One more tour of the two-storey-with-daylight-basement home had made it official. There was a clever upstairs master bedroom with its own cute lanai and both a tub and a shower, plus a small room that would make a great office or nursery, three other bedrooms on the main floor, a large kitchen with an attached dining room, a large living room that opened onto a spacious, partially covered lanai with stairs down to the level of the back yard, which had another lanai that opened out from the daylight basement. Downstairs had wonderful open-concept living for half of it, and the other half was a mother-in-law apartment, for when they had overnight guests. The reason they could afford it was the deal the realtor was giving them, not entirely based on the fact that every single room had to be repainted something other than dark purple or shrieking neon. The outside was a horrible overly-exuberant sky blue and had a 1-stall garage plus an extra carport, in the same color.

But the layout was perfect, the windows and appliances new and plentiful, meaning there was a lightness and airiness to it, which actually made the paint colors worse.

The yard featured mature, beautiful landscaping. Every mistake made in painting had not been made in the front yard and back yard. Things were overgrown and misshapen, but a bit of pruning and elbow grease would take care of that. And there was a narrow path beyond greenery and trees in the back that led down to a strip of private beach separated from their neighbors on either side by twin breakwaters. Best of all, they were 10 minutes from Steve's house, 15 minutes from the Cornett's house, and 20 minutes from work, school, Tripler, and everything else they could possibly want. They had already met their neighbors and thought they were fine people.

Danny and Becca were standing on the master bedroom lanai, overlooking their beautifully planted backyard. "I can't believe this is going to be ours," sighed Becca, the brightness of her smiling eyes in her voice as well.

"I love you," said Danny, and it was a good thing Charlie wasn't there to watch as the two kissed for quite a while. He definitely would have been worrying about butterflies in Becca's tummy.

"What color do you want to paint the outside of the house?" asked Becca, her arms around Danny's waist.

"Creamy yellow. Do you like that? It doesn't have to be that color. It's our house, so we should consult on colors."

"Definitely creamy yellow," replied Becca, and they didn't discuss colors right away again, because they were back to kissing and being grateful that their lanai had enough privacy that they could spend some quality couple time out there.

The realtor found them out there and delicately let her presence be known. The couple blushed, and held hands as they talked with her about the house, and the next steps in the "officially ours" process.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Dinner was a late afternoon picnic, and they set up folding tables and chairs in the newly purchased backyard of Danny and Becca's house. They had ordered out from Kamekona's, and he was presiding over keeping everyone's plate full while enjoying his own dinner. Steve, Hannah, Doctor and Mrs. Cornett had come, and of course Grace and Charlie were there, along with Lou Grover and his family. Danny of course noticed that Grace and Will were sitting hip to hip at the crowded table, their heads together, discussing whatever they were. Apparently Nehele had lost the competition for Grace's affections. Grace's arm was almost back up to full strength since she had gotten the cast off at the end of January. Danny definitely noticed that Will Grover was occasionally lightly caressing that arm, and Grace would blush when he did it.

Steve kept grimacing at the house color. "Danny, did you get a discount because everything is so … I have never seen a house like this. Shrieky."

"Partly," grinned Danny. "But my newfound fame and good-guy-ness and the fact that this place had been on the market over a year and the former owners had to replace the roof in that bad storm around Thanksgiving-" Danny's eyes clouded over briefly and he paused for a second, because he remembered Neil Lane of Ace Oahu Roofing, and made it a point to call his widow very soon and make sure she was doing okay. "And they liked selling to a cop, and made an offer to the realtor that I'd get a sizeable discount if I liked their house. Seriously, if they had just repainted, I would not have been able to afford it even with the discount."

Steve almost pouted. "It's twice as big as mine."

"Not twice, but we do have the basement. And you have zero mortgage, what are you complaining about? You and Hannah will have plenty of room in there to start a family."

Steve turned to Hannah, and they shared one of those wordless, loving, "thinking alike" moments. "We sure will."

Charlie, still in his Very Dramatic phase, groaned. "No butterflies, please!"

Sarah Cornett spoke up then. She and her husband were finding their way into their expanding family very comfortably. "Charlie, sweetheart, what do you mean about butterflies?"

Charlie sighed. "Bobby-"

("School friend," explained Danny quickly.)

"-told me where babies come from."

Which of course led to the adults blushing and beaming over the cute story of how Charlie believed babies came from.

Dr. Cornett furrowed his brows at Danny. "You haven't told your young son the facts of life yet?"

"Uh, no," replied Danny. "Because he's so young."

Charlie pouted. "And every time they _almost_ tell me, because Uncle Steve said he would today-"

"No, I didn't," corrected Steve. "Danno was the one who was going to tell you, but you had to take a bath instead."

"Whatever!" continued Charlie. He huffed. "They _always_ change the subject, or make me wash my hands, or offer me a snack. They aren't _ever_ gonna tell me where babies come from."

"Oh," said Dr. Cornett. "Well, I could tell you."

Sarah Cornett chuckled when Danny and Steve looked horrified and terrified at the same time. "Trust him."

Danny looked wide-eyed at his future in-laws, and swallowed around the biggest rock his throat had ever held. "Uh. Are you sure? He's not even five!"

Becca leaned against his shoulder, completely relaxed. "Oh, Daddy's had lots of practice with this. You can trust him to be age appropriate."

Danny almost felt queasy. But he had to trust Becca, Sarah, and his doc. "Uh, okay."

So Charlie looked expectantly at the man he already called Grampa.

Dr. Cornett led Charlie off into the yard so they could have this "man to man" talk in private. Danny's hands were sweating, his stomach churning, his mind whirling, and even Steve was wearing terrified face, which he hardly ever did. "What's he telling him?" asked Steve after Charlie's expression turned from interested to confused to 'sorry he'd ever asked' as the ladies all started to laugh very quietly.

Sarah was grinning so big, and so proud. "Oh, you can tell. He's using terminology."

"Oh no," greened out Danny. He popped one of his real anti-nausea pills into his mouth and swallowed a sip of water.

"Oh yes! But you must remember, he's a doctor, so he knows doctorese, and poor Charlie!"

Eventually Charlie and Dr. Cornett returned to the table. He sat down, a bit wobbly, and uncertain. Dr. Cornett kissed Sarah and patted Danny on the back. "There! All taken care of."

Sarah leaned toward Charlie. "Tell us what you learned, Honey."

Charlie screwed up his face a bit. "The butterfly thing was a lot easier." He was deep in thought. "Well, apparently lady people can make these huge eggs, and man people can make these tiny whales, and the trick is that they don't always make the right kind of whale because the lady egg has armor and then the whale has to find the door before he can get in, and I'm not sure about this next part, because Grampa used a lot of words like 'flipping tubes' and 'oh very' and 'U-Taurus' (they could see the question marks in Charlie's eyes) and 'Virginia', plus some other words I'm not sure about at all. So once the little whale finds the door into the big egg, something I didn't understand happens, called 'fertile nation', and even then sometimes the nation doesn't quite work, I guess like politics or something, but if it does, then a baby happens but is super-small and has to grow for nine months until it wants out, and Grampa told me how the baby gets out, but I just don't understand except that mommies have to push the baby out in Virginia. How do lady people ever have babies in Hawaii? I think the butterfly part makes a lot more sense, since eggs and tiny whales, I mean, whales are always big and eggs are always small, so I have a feeling Grampa doesn't really know either."

"He tried, Charlie," wheezed out Danny, having a terrible time suppressing a laugh that came from his toes. Dr. Cornett was biting his lips and turning the color of beets while bursting into a chortle he would immediately suppress; Steve fall off the bench onto the stone floor of the lanai, hiding as best he could his own laughter, and Charlie just asked for more shrimp while Danny finally lost it and hysteria-ed out in falsetto, "Virginia!" He reached out and smacked the doctor's arm. "Thank you."

.

H50H50H50

A/N: um. So there you have that! Comments and reviews are always welcome!


	72. Chapter 72 Musings

Chapter 72 "Musings"

A/N: (16 November 2017) Hi all. I'm really sorry I've been so slow in updating recently. I went to the doctor, and had all these wretched tests done, and more to come because some got fouled up, and long story short, my body is being really mean to me, and now I've got to cut out even more stuff, and normally I roll fairly well (after an initial snit) with more NO NO NO in my life, but this time….I just feel down. You don't know how often I get that word, "No!" SINCE I WAS BORN! Well, now I'm the one shouting it. I'm sick of hearing NO NO NO. I know I shouldn't feel sorry for myself, but I do. I hit my NO limit. So I'm depressed. I've still got more tests ahead, which I'm scared of, stress has skyrocketed ... so I haven't written. It's for the best. I apologize for complaining, and being depressed. I'm sorry. This is not my normal. Nothing about this is my normal.

But this is a pensive chapter, so I thought I'd give it a go. It was originally not going to be a pensive chapter, but it does fit, and so let's see what happens. If it's horrible, I won't post it.

The usual disclaimer: CBS owns Hawaii Five-0 and we just play with it.

Chapter 72 "Musings"

(Saturday, 11 February 2017, 11 p.m.)

Danny Williams was sitting alone on the cot mattress he had brought over to the new house he had bought with Becca Cornett. It had been full of people helping him paint until a couple of hours ago when everyone had left, and the house settled into a contented silence.

He was bone tired, but knew he wouldn't sleep yet. He was happy, and he wanted to think about his life, his loved ones, and how much would change in a very short time, how much had already changed. He could see the proof of change in the colors of the walls in the rooms behind him, since he had the lights on and the doors flung wide open to let out the smell of fresh paint. No longer were lights bouncing of a riot of neon. The house seemed relieved to no longer be garish, to be contemplating the happiness of the family the walls would now protect and see thrive.

The cot was outside, under the covered part of the lower lanai, with a fluffy pillow and a fairly warm but light fleece blanket waiting for him to crawl under it, for the night was chilly and damp from the light rain that had been falling all day. The blanket was, incongruously, patterned with bright tropical fish on an 'it-made-sense' surf blue background. He would feel like he was sleeping in an aquarium when he finally snuggled under it. Angel was staying with Becca tonight, paying a visit to her sweetheart, Becca's older kitten, Clarence. He wondered what the two kittens would do when they saw his aquarium blanket. He had a feeling it would become their blanket and toy once they saw all those fish.

He missed his kitten, and he missed his children, but he hadn't wanted them to be in on the painting mayhem. Becca and Hannah were looking after them tonight, so Steve could have a quiet night too. Steve also had some practicing to do, which did not need an audience.

Danny had spent a large part of the day painting, with lots of help. He and Steve had gotten into a paintbrush flicking war, with the expected results, enticing Lou, Adam and Jerry to join in, until they all needed scrubbing from head to paint-splotched clothes. Luckily, it had happened in a room not already painted, and the drop cloths had been down on the floor, shielding it from the mess. Everyone had headed home to shower and change. They'd paint some more tomorrow.

Before the painting had been another session for their secret, with almost the same results as the day before, although Danny gave Steve due credit for really trying. They had one more session tomorrow. Steve had promised to practice, and Danny knew Doc would too, and he had, so he figured they would be ready when it was time to spring the surprise.

Danny's blond hair was still drying from the hot shower he had taken. His muscles still ached, so he worked his shoulders especially to loosen them up, and then draped part of the blanket over them to keep them warm. He was wearing a new white T-shirt and navy pajama pants, since he didn't have any 'old' clothes anymore. He was nursing a fresh mug of tea, and had just eaten a piled-high ham, cheese and appropriate condiments sandwich, and a pint of burstingly juicy, flavorful strawberries, and about 8 Oreo Doublestuff cookies, which, with the tea, would definitely send him back later to brush his teeth, especially since there was that one strawberry seed still lodged between two teeth, feeling like a boulder, not a teeny little seed. His tongue was working away at that seed, but it wasn't getting anywhere. But he was too tired and comfortable to get up and find the floss.

What a day it had been. Two days, he corrected himself. Yesterday had been one for the memory tome. Charlie and his now disinterest in knowing where babies came from after Dr. Cornett had explained the process to him. The Doc wouldn't say whether he'd mangled the words Charlie had repeated, or if that was Charlie's doing because the subject went way over his head. Danny figured it was a little of both.

But after the picnic, and the baptism the house had received with laughter and that first happy time with loved ones, good food, and nice weather, had come the sneaky thing he and Steve had planned, aided and abetted by their soon-to-be father-in-law. They had all met up and by the end of their session, Danny was sore from exercise and howling with laughter. Today had been the second session, and wow he was sore, but it would all be worth it. He and his co-conspirators were all scheduled for a massage after tomorrow's session, which they would need. Three days in a row of working muscles unused to being worked would take their toll.

Danny finally stopped fighting the strawberry seed and went in search of the floss. The house smelled of drying paint, and strategic windows were open. The smell was fresh but growing fainter every hour. Danny entered the bathroom freshly painted a beautiful pale lagoon blue, and smiled because he had looked at the one paint chip Becca had shown him, when he had been expecting to see her hand him a deck of paint chips in almost identical blues. "Honey, you didn't like any of the other blues?"

Becca had turned him into a 150-watt bulb with her 150-watt smile. "Oh, I loved lots of them, but this is the one." Danny had nevertheless wanted to see the other colors, because he was picky. He'd looked at approximately 5 billion light blue paint chips, shrugged as he turned to Becca, and said, "Yup, that's the one!"

Choosing colors had been easy after that. Becca –which didn't surprise Danny one bit—had a fine eye for color. There had been only one room they had "discussed". It was the master bedroom. He was used to white. Just plain white. But Becca had her heart set on pale sage-mint green, with only the lower walls and ceiling being white. When she showed him the paint chip for the sage-mint, he had thought it too dark, but she really knew what she was doing, so he gave in. Once the walls were painted, he loved the color. The room was so light and airy from the windows that the color was much lighter than he had thought it would be, and not at all too sage or too mint.

Once the strawberry seed was flossed away, and the Oreo cookie crumbs no longer scaring his toothbrush, he returned to the cot on the lanai. The rain was falling softly, but he was dry, even his hair. He decided to wrap in the blanket, and write in his journal. He felt content, and surprised at how relaxed he felt about the future.

No one, he reflected, would have described him as having a predominately positive outlook, since he considered the potential bad things and definitely tended to over-protect and prepare for the worst. He'd grown up that way, was probably in his DNA, and been perfected by a life as an eldest child looking after siblings who would fall down if there was an ion to trip on, who he had grown up keeping from burning their fingers on hot stoves, falling through thin ice on ponds not yet frozen enough to walk on. He was the big brother, and from a very young age had taken sharp-eyed care of his siblings. If he failed to keep them safe on his watch, he had heard, "But you were supposed to keep them out of trouble!" about 40 billion times. Then he had become a cop, and if that hadn't brought out the overprotective in him, nothing could have. Since he already was, it had taken the trait to a whole new level.

Then had come marriage to Rachel, and then the birth of Grace, his little monkey. If he had not already been a 150 out of 100 on the protective scale, having a tiny daughter to protect raised the level even more.

But, Danny reflected, it had come at a price, one which had also had a profound impact on him: there was all too seldom someone to watch out after him. Not that his parents had left him to his own devices, but they had seen his natural tendency to be responsible, and since they were busy, had too often left him to take care of himself.

The result was a hyer-vigilant, lonely kid who hid the lonely part behind a personality bigger than most. He'd learned early on that expressing feelings was something his family did, so he did, but he also learned that he had a lot of competition for being heard, and thus had turned communication into a fine art, including vocabulary, gestures, body language, and an expressive face. The older he got, the more those traits became fine-tuned and further ingrained, until now they were his "bones", the things that held everything else together.

Then his marriage had fallen apart, he had had to move to Hawaii, and had met Steve McGarrett, his approximately polar opposite in all things on earth. Oil had met water, and the two had not exactly become dearest friends overnight. In any other circumstance, and with any other two people, their immediate near-hatred of each other would have stayed as it was, and they would never have become friends, let alone best friends, brothers, and confidants.

But the circumstances had forced them to get to know each other on a deeper level. And fate had given them both exactly what they needed. Steve had been too long on his own, with no one to care strongly about him. He was used to taking care of himself, following his own impulses, with no one to rant at him if his ways were on the unorthodox, dangerous side.

Steve had made Danny his partner, and that was a word and job Danny took very very seriously. When Steve constantly ran along the sharpened knife's edge of insane, barely-do-able risks, taking Danny right along with him, Danny perfected his rants with motivation based on not wanting to get killed or maimed for life, and not wanting to see Steve suffer that fate either. Steve had minded at first, until he came to understand that Danny had come to care about whether or not Steve lived or died. It surprised Danny (in a way) that he did care about this foolish risk taker control freak hell-bent on getting his partner killed or shot or drowned or stabbed or exploded or squashed to jelly in a car crash or dead from a blood-pressure-OMG-induced old fashioned heart attack. It surprised Steve that this over-cautious bundle of in-your-face verbal emotions whose middle name was "Backup!" didn't seem to trust his SEAL abilities to push himself to extremes, forgetting almost 100% of the time that Danny was not a SEAL, until it finally worked its way into his awareness that Danny "Backup" Williams really didn't want to see him get killed.

When the dust settled from their rocky beginning, they discovered a most unlikely, soul-deep friendship that had become brotherhood somewhere along the way, until now they could not define a happy life that did not include the other in it.

Seven years later, they were on the verge of becoming brothers-in-law and could not be happier about it. The paint war had been all-too-typical of their interactions now. It had ended when Steve got the bathroom blue paint up his nose because Danny had amazing luck with that paintbrush flick, and Danny hit the floor laughing, along with Lou, Adam and Jerry, and finally Steve.

Danny considered that Steve had changed him. He had changed Steve, but probably not as much in a really visible way. Danny wasn't surprised. Steve held a lot inside from most people, and Danny let a lot out to almost everyone. Each had tempered those traits somewhat. And while Steve had somehow managed to get through life without getting himself killed, trusting too much that his skills and luck would see him through, he now realized that the dangers he took also put others, especially Danny, in constant and unnecessary danger. If he actually took that into account even 5 percent of the time, that was an improvement Danny was only too happy to acknowledge and give credit to Steve.

Danny, on the other hand, found someone who actually did listen to him, and cared what he felt, even if Danny still sometimes had to vocalize more than most of the population did. He now had someone who was there for him, who didn't expect him to go through everything on his own, who wanted to know what he had to say, what he thought, and cared about him personally so he had come to read the smallest signals Danny gave that something within his psyche was amiss, who Danny knew how long his timer was before he opened up to Steve about it before Steve would begin to prod and prod and prod until Danny told him. Steve had started out not wanting to know, and now he not only wanted to know, he needed to know, because he cared that much.

Their friendship worked. Now and then Steve broke out the competition two-alpha-male thing, and gave Danny due credit when Danny came out on top, as Danny understood Steve's need for his grousing when Danny did not come out on top. Complaints, especially well-intentioned, were now something Steve needed, rather than minded. Oil and water remained oil and water, but could no longer live happily without the other.

Danny thought about all of this for a long time before he finally crawled under his aquarium blanket and snuggled into the pillow, and felt only contentment. Life was good. Life was getting better all the time. He was happy.

H50H50H50

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this. Reviews and comments are always welcome.


	73. Chapter 73 Valentine's Day

**Chapter 73** "Valentine's Day"

 **A/N:** (10 January 2018) Hello after quite a hiatus! I've missed you all, and writing for you! So much went wrong with my health, but I think we're on the rebound and I feel much better! God willing, I'm okay!

It's a pleasure to get back to writing, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! I feel rusty, so it's maybe a bit lacking in umph for that reason, but as the saying goes, "It's better to get it written than right."

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0 and is kind enough to let us play with it.

 **Chapter 73** "Valentine's Day"

(Tuesday, 14 February 1917, 6 p.m.)

"I'm so terrified," repeated Steve McGarrett for the 49 billionth time since he had pulled into Danny's driveway, behind Dr. Cornett's 4-door Mercedes. The three men had met in the house, while Danny's kids and Dr. Cornett's daughters got ready for the dinner reservations at the covered outdoor lounge at the Hilton on Waikiki. They had gone for early reservations, so Charlie could be there for most of the night. He'd be sent home with his usual babysitter, who would be there at the dinner party until it was time for Charlie to go home.

Danny and the Doc took turns adjusting Steve's black bowtie. "Why?" asked Danny. "Just think about this favor we are doing for our future father-in-law, who wants to do something unexpected and romantic for his wife, our future mother-in-law. We want the points we'll get tonight from Sarah, right?"

The doc burst out with a laugh, the kind where you are glad you didn't just take a sip of water. "You will get points from Becca and Hannah, too. You'll do just fine! Why don't you ever call me Isaac?"

Ignoring that last question, Steve broke out his busted record again. "I'm so terrified, I'm so terrified, I'm so terrified! I have performance anxiety!"

Which reduced Danny and Doc almost to tears. "This isn't a high school guitar solo, and it isn't the other kind of performance, which you don't have any anxiety about. You'll do fine!" comforted Danny, trying not to let his own nerves get to him. He and Steve were as ready as they physically could get. "We just have to help Doc, and then make sure Becca and Hannah are happy. If you think of the look on her face, you'll settle down."

"We'll make the papers and all the news broadcasts and YouTube and God only knows what else!" wailed Steve.

"Along with Doc and a lot of other people. Nobody will bother with us schmucks," soothed Danny. But the truth was, he was on the verge of fidgeting and heading for the airport to grab any flight anywhere far far away, except that he was really looking forward to the look on Sarah's face, Hannah's face, Becca's face, and maybe even gaining some respect from his suddenly grown up daughter.

"Okay, men, let's make sure we have everything we need for tonight, and go pick up our ladies.

Steve let out one more strangled, "Terrified," before adding, "Valentine's Day is torture for men and Heaven for women, except for the people who just hate it on general principle."

Danny snorted. He agreed with Steve, having suffered through many Valentine's Day nightmares with first Rachel, then high daughter, then girlfriends, and now was spending his first with Becca, and he could only hope he met whatever expectations she might have. He thought about it, giving Steve a glance, and wondered if Steve had ever had much anxiety about Valentine's Day. You didn't have to get too romantic with someone who was only an occasional date, and Catherine Rollins hadn't been around that much even when she was Steve's lover. Maybe lack of Valentine's Day practice was the source of his terror, and of course Hannah's presence tonight.

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Three cars went in two directions. Dr. Cornett turned to head for his house, to pick up his wife of 30 years. Steve and Danny headed for the apartment Becca and Hannah shared, and where Danny would also pick up Grace and Charlie. They took separate cars in the hope of needing them after the dinner party broke up.

Danny's breath caught in his throat when he saw Becca and Grace. He thought Hannah looked really nice too, and was absolutely certain Steve would eventually remember to breathe and say something nice about her Holy Wowsa tomato red dress that screamed without being rude about it that SHE was thinking nice cross out naughtly things about Valentine's Day. But Danny had eyes only for Becca and Grace. Becca was in a floaty watercolor confection of white with soft, stylized roses painted on it, subtle and dreamy and making Danny's mouth go dry with the way it fit where it should and floated where it should and showed off an almost dangerous amount of leg. He'd have to be careful if he dipped her when they danced. Or swirled. Which made him wonder what kind of undergarments she was wearing, which was evict-able thinking since it made him very aware that he was entirely attracted to her in ways that could occasionally be embarrassing. And then she swirled for him to show off her dress, and he realized she had a Red. Formfitting. Slip. Under the dress, which confounded the daylights out of him because now he _**really**_ wanted to know what was under that slip.

He shut that part of his brain down and presented her with a red rose wrist corsage, and was pretty sure he told her she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, and he loved her. And then he turned to Grace, who had blossomed before his eyes and wore a pink dress that should have been innocent, and was about 90% innocent, except when did she look that enticing in a dress when she was going to spend the evening sitting next to Will Grover, and have that sparkle in her eyes? He gave her a pink rose wrist corsage, wondering if it was going to have competition with the one Will gave her? He was going to have to keep an eye on Will tonight. Hm. An unforeseen complication. He also decided he would have to speak to Becca about Grace and dresses, because this dress was what he probably should expect from now on, but he wasn't willing yet to allow her to go below 90% innocent. Not for another ten years.

Charlie blew Danny out of his reverie over the ladies in his life by making strangled sounds. "My tie is too tight! Why do _**I**_ have to wear a tuskeedo?"

Danny finished kissing Becca and sparkling when he saw the look in her eyes, and murmured, "Tuxedo, and get used to it, Tiger, because men wear tuxedos on Valentine's Day. At least Lexi isn't around."

"I'm just a kid!"

"You are a boy kid and boys are males and males wear tuxedos on Valentine's Day, on special ones anyway. And this is a special one."

"Why?"

"Because it is, and other than that I am not saying, since you can't keep a secret to save your life," said Danny while his eyes had an entirely different and delightful conversation with Becca. Steve seemed to be having a similar one with Hannah.

Charlie harrumphed eloquently. "Since when? I can keep a secret!"

Danny sighed, and bent down to Charlie's eye level. "Remember the secret we had about the 'slingshot' grown males need when playing sports, and you promised not to tell anyone about using it to shoot rocks all over Steve's beach when I wasn't there, and you ended up telling the entire daycare all about it, because the mothers were there picking up All. Those. Other. Kids?"

Charlie's face showed that he remembered, vaguely. "I just forgot it was a secret."

Danny nodded. "I rest my case."

Steve, who had indeed kept breathing, and wasn't looking quite as nervous, unless it was a different kind of nervous, said, eyes only on Hannah, "Shall we leave now to make our reservation at the Hilton?"

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

They had the best of the large tables reserved for large parties, right on the edge of the dance floor. The food was excellent, the wine didn't exactly flow, since Danny, Steve and Dr. Cornett were making their single glasses last. It was because they knew champagne would follow the surprise.

At 8:30, Charlie left with his sitter, Mrs. Wilcox, who had enjoyed the dinner and conversation which flowed around the table. Lou, Renee and Will Grover had joined them, as per plan, and as Danny suspected, Will and Grace were now chaperon-less now that Mrs. Wilcox had left with Charlie, who managed to eat a huge dinner while strangling (his words, not factually true) from his tuxedo tie. Sarah Cornett had noticed Danny's increasing agitation and took over the task while still seeming to pay the vast majority of her attention to her husband.

Dancing began at 8:30 p.m., not coincidentally the time Charlie was spirited home with Mrs. Wilcox. Fifteen minutes later Danny gave the signal, and he, Steve and the doctor excused themselves to the men's room. There, Steve went into full terrified mode again, and Danny almost did. But since Dr. Cornett was looking pale and sweaty, they gave up their personal terrors and got his courage back to where it needed to be. They snuck out of their hiding place and waited for the MC of the night to make the announcement of their surprise.

The native Hawaiian man who had that perfect Master of Ceremonies voice took the microphone, and called the music to a halt. "Enough of ukulele romance, we need something with a bit more umph to it, and I have it on good authority that a certain gentleman wishes to surprise his wife of thirty years. He will be aided by two men we all know on these islands. So, let us welcome to the floor," (which had been discreetly cleared by the junior MC), "Dr. Isaac Cornett and his co-performers, Commander Steve McGarrett and Detective Danny Williams! Mrs. Sarah Cornett, please take your place center edge of the dance floor."

Sarah was blushing and looking nervous and startled, until she caught her husband's eye. She was flanked by her daughters and Grace Williams, and accepted very graciously the huge bouquet of native flowers presented to her.

By then, the three "performers" had taken their places, the doctor flanked on either side by Steve and Danny.

The doc nodded to the out-of-sight DJ.

And then Beyonce's voice on recording filled the room.

"All the single ladies!"

And the woots followed almost immediately, as the three men did the choreography (almost) perfectly in specially made tuxedos to give extra stretch, since some of the moves could never have been done in a regular suit.

Phones came out and recorded the performance, and joy filled the room! By the hip slaps, the crowd was entirely in the palms of the "dancers'" hands, and they were enjoying performing. Sarah, Hannah, and Becca especially were enjoying it, and Grace could not make up her mind whether she was astonished or humiliated, and finally decided to just go with the fun. Her father could not have surprised her more if he had dyed his hair flaming pink!

The song hit the crescendo, the doc, Steve and Danny hit their final poses, feeding off the energy of the appreciative audience, they accepted thunderous applause, and then the doctor held his hands up for silence.

His speech to Sarah was touching, and eloquent. "I put a ring on it 30 years ago, but I think it's about time for a special follow-up ring, because this woman is my life, my soulmate, my lover, and my love. In this life, we need someone to see us through the good and the bad, to share whatever comes our way, and Sarah has been the perfect partner for me, the only woman I ever wanted to marry, and the one I hope to grow very old with."

He walked across the dancefloor and got down on one knee before his wife. He pulled out a ring box, and opened it to reveal an eternity band of heart-shaped diamonds. "Sarah, will you marry me again? I would love to renew our vows, and spend at least another thirty years with you, my dearest love."

Her response was to kiss him with an igniting passion fuel by all their years together, their happiness. The room erupted in applause, which lasted through the kiss(es) and for awhile afterwards.

Until Steve and Danny signaled the room back to silence, after giving the happy couple enough time to thoroughly enjoy their special moments.

"Hannah," said Steve. "Come to my side?"

"Becca," said Danny. "Come to my side?"

They did.

Steve went down on one knee before Hannah, while Danny went down on one knee before Becca.

"Hannah, would you make me the happiest man in the universe by marrying me?" Steve pulled out a ring-box, opened it to display the oval diamond flanked by two smaller sapphires on a gold band.

"Yes, Stiff!"

"Becca, will you marry me, my two children and my kitten?" The ring he displayed was a brilliant cut surrounded by smaller diamonds alternating with pearls.

"Yup! I sure will!"

It wasn't choreographed, but the rings went on their fingers in unison, and they kissed and swung their be-ringed soulmates around in matching circles, and Danny forgot all about Becca's red slip, which everyone watching got a good look at, including the internet audience once someone uploaded the video. The congratulations flowed with the champagne, and the happy couples got so many hugs and kisses, they lost track as their thoughts were only on their loves, and how completely happy Valentine's Day was. Until Danny finally caught Grace and Will kissing a little too exuberantly, just as Lou did, and they met at their offspring's sides and read them a watered-down riot act, considering how happy they were, and they both approved of the match, just not their ages.

They would have their day in the future, if they lasted. Everyone hugged everyone, and they returned to the stars of the night, who did indeed make a sensational YouTube hit!

.

H50

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. Reviews and critiques are always welcome!


	74. Chapter 74 Unexpected

Chapter 74 "Unexpected"

A/N: (7 February 2018) Omigosh, I thank you all for the beautiful reviews for 73 and your patience. This chapter really should have been finished sooner, but it literally made me wait, and that means you had to wait too, so I hope you forgive us both, and enjoy what this chapter holds. It starts off not so, well, the first part is fine, but then comes the bump, and then comes something I knew was coming. And it isn't the, uh, unexpected part, it's the part after, between Danny and Becca.

Thank you for sticking with this story, and being so patient. I really love you all 😊

CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, but we play with it as long as we don't make any money from it.

Chapter 74 "Unexpected"

(Wednesday, 1 March 2017, 6:45 a.m.)

Danny Williams plucked his dripping white four-month old kitten out of the shower in the bath of the master bedroom, because she liked to sit on the tiles in the corner and slap at the water when he showered. She also slapped puddles, some of them muddy. Danny had taken to leaving out a shallow pan of water by the backyard's exit doors of his new house, with a wide towel folded to one side, which of course Angel used to clean and more-or-less dry her paws when she came in from slapping puddles after it rained. She was not fond of licking wet dirt off of her furry personage, even if she was a very fastidious kitten when it came to keeping her whites white. Clarence, her betrothed kitten, who Becca Cornett brought over often, had high standards, too. Even though both felines were young, they knew when they grew up that they would be forever soulmates.

Danny reflected that he was glad Angel was not a venturesome kitten. She avoided Outside except for careful excursions into the back yard. Even then, she eschewed the beach. You could almost hear her spit out the loathsome word, " _Sand_." But she loved the brief time when the track through the shrubbery down _to_ the beach became muddy from rain. And there was one low spot near the porch that collected water from the roof gutter. She had discovered it the hard way one day when she was chasing a gecko (with no intention of actually catching it) which had dived into the plantings by the porch. Angel, ever the spirited non-hunter, had leapt for all her growing-but-still-diminutive size could muster over the plants and landed with a shocked splash in the three inches of water in the little pool, had levitated straight up and then sideways* to land in the dianthus next to it, and stared balefully at it for quite some time before first giving it what-for with a few assertive and disciplinary paw wallops before deciding it was cowed enough to dive into it because she was a cat and therefore did unexplainable things, and things which defied every law of physics. Danny called the puddle 'Angel's Play Pool', and her defiance of physics 'Angel's Magic'.

"Is your middle name Steve?" Danny asked Angel, who was waiting for him to wrap her in the special pink towel used for drying her off. Angel thwapped his chin with one paw, claws in, and flattened her ears for a few seconds, which made Danny give a short laugh and wide 'see my teeth' smile. "Guess not. I asked because he loves the water. Cats, so everyone tells me, do not like the water, except for some breeds which you are clearly not. Therefore, you are an anomaly. Which we already know." He wrapped her in her very own petal pink towel, the same color as the ones by the backyard doors.

His phone rang. It was by his sink (since there were two, the other waiting for Becca once they began sharing the home). There was a small digital clock on the shelf under the mirror, and Danny glanced at it as he put Angel down in her pile of pink towel. He pulled his own vanilla white towel around his waist, frowning because a call this early was almost certainly something to do with a new case, which, at this early hour also usually meant someone had died in some unnatural, suspicious way.

But this wasn't about work, as he frowned with a frisson of worry running with cold feet up his spine when he noticed the caller's name. It was his lawyer.

"Richard? You are sure early, what's up?"

Richard Irwin had been his lawyer ever since Danny had come to Hawaii. They got on well, but were not close friends, although they mutually thought well of each other.

Danny had reached for another towel, to pat dry his hair, when his hands froze at Richard's reply. His hair was forgotten and that towel slipped onto the foot-rug, forming a vanilla pile right next to Angel's petal pink one.

"C—would you repeat that?"

For a few minutes, Danny listened as if frozen into a statue. He finally asked, his voice gruff, "The baby?" More listening, and then he leaned against the vanity, feeling shaky. "Thanks. No, I'm … okay. Shocked. Um. Call me whenever, uh, with whatever … whenever you get more details. I should probably be there at the ... you know. Thanks." As a complete afterthought, he said, "Bye," and ended the call.

Danny set the phone down as if it were a feather, then stared down at it, and at his hands. His hands were shaking. He had to think about this. The lawyer's news had left him reeling, his emotions completely unprepared for what he had been told.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny knew his daughter was having her shower, then would get Charlie ready for school. He called Steve, after making sure his bedroom door was both closed and locked. Angel was following him around, stilling when he did, and making the exact patterns on the tiles or carpet his bare feet were when he couldn't stand still and had to pace.

Steve finally answered, his voice surprised, happy, and a little annoyed. "Danny! I'm dripping wet, you got us I mean me out of the shower. This better be good."

Danny winced and hesitated. His voice came out strained. "It … isn't."

Steve's voice was instantly concerned, focused, and worried. "Are you okay? Is it the kids? What do you need me to do? What's wrong?"

Danny had stopped pacing, again, and was suddenly sitting on the floor at the foot of his bed, Angel in his lap.

"Danny? Hey, answer me! Are you okay?"

Danny cleared his closed throat, tears beginning to form slow, ignored rivulets down his cheeks. He closed his eyes, and images filled his head. Good times, great times, bad times, terrible times, beautiful times, ugly times, things he never wanted to forget, never could forget, and desperately wanted to forget.

"Danny, I'm coming over!"

Danny's voice was shaky and small. "Steve?"

Steve's voice was sharp, worried. "Yeah!"

"Could you … hurry? Take the kids to school? Uh. Tell them I'm sick? I'm not sick sick, but I feel … I do feel sick. My lawyer called. R-Rachel's-" His voice cracked. "Sh-she's dead. Steve, she's dead." He tossed the phone aside and scrambled for the toilet, Angel streaking after him. He didn't hear Steve's shocked, " _OhMyGod_. Ten minutes. I'll be right there."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Hannah had been with Steve and dried him off while he talked with Danny, then pulled out fresh clothes for him and helped him dress in record time. She sent Steve on his way and got herself ready while she called Becca. "Danny called Steve. He-"

"Danny just called me. He said Rachel died. He sounded awful and said he needed me. I'm pulling on scrubs." Becca sounded horrified, worried sick, and tearful while hurrying.

"Good. I'm on my way over too. Did he say what happened?"

"No," answered Becca. "We didn't talk long." She didn't say that all he had said was, "Rachel died. I need you," in his broken voice. For now, he didn't need to say another thing. She stuffed her feet into light blue Keds and grabbed her keys, and headed for the door, the phone to her ear as her other hand slung her small purse across her body.

"But she's in Kentucky at the women's prison there! What on earth happened?"

"I don't know."

"What about the baby?"

"I don't know."

"Okay. I'll see you at Danny's. I have a feeling we shouldn't say anything to the kids yet."

"Agreed. Hannah, I'm scared." Becca didn't pause in her dash to the kitchen to put food down for Clarence, who was a pale gold-eyed gray sphinx by the refrigerator. "You didn't come home last night."

Hannah knew what the real question was. "I stayed at Steve's, but we didn't, you know. D-do you believe me? And I'm scared, too. Danny's been through so much."

Becca only hesitated to answer because she was trying to get the apartment door to lock. Then she was running for the elevators down to the parking garage. "I believe you. And he's been through way too much. Okay, you help Steve with the kids, I'm going straight upstairs. See you at Danny's. Love you, Sis."

"Love you."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Danny spent a brief interval hunched over the toilet, but that didn't last long since he had nothing substantive to give it. By the time he heard Steve arrive (because he heard the swerve and skid of tires in his driveway, and Steve was the only one who used those to announce his presence), he was sitting on the edge of a lounge chair on the master bedroom lanai, having rinsed his mouth and pulled on black jeans and a black T-shirt. He had out of habit reached for a white shirt, then switched his choice. He didn't have a black button-shirt, so he would get one as soon as he could. And shoes. Rachel deserved to be mourned.

Hannah came next. Steve was already at his door and had stopped in the lanai's doorway. He had unlocked the bedroom, expecting adult visitors. "Danny, I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry. Just … just tell me what to do to help." Steve's words were simple, but his eyes were soulfully eloquent.

Danny nodded. "Thanks for coming over." He was petting Angel, still slightly damp. "Uh. She went into early labor with complications, and the prison was taking her to the hospital nearest, but they hit a patch of ice and spun out. She hit her head real b-bad, stopped breathing and went into cardiac a-a-arrest." Danny bit off speaking while he regained control of himself. "They had to do a C-section right there, and the baby—it's a boy-is fine, almost two months early but fine, probably spend a week or so in NICU. Jason Black's brother and sister-in-law are flying in, they have sole custody of the baby. And Rachel … didn't make it. They tried everything. They said she sh—shou-should have made it. It was like she gave up. May-maybe she did." That was all Danny could say, burying his head in Angel's fur.

Steve, with Hannah in time to hear the last bit, both swallowed in unison. Steve came in and knelt down by Danny and put his arms around him. "I'm so sorry, Danny."

Danny nodded fiercely, gave Steve's most available arm a kiss and cleared his throat. "Makes two of us. So. I can't tell the kids yet, can't … you know? I gotta get myself together, find out how to do this right. So, uh. Can you get them through breakfast, like, you know, I'm just a bit sick, nothing to worry about? And get them to school?"

"Sure. Yeah. Of course. You got it."

"Thanks, both of you."

Hannah said in a voice full of understanding and love, "Becca is on her way."

Danny buried his head again, and nodded. "I need her."

Steve kissed the top of Danny's touseled head. He understood. "We'll send her up. Can we get you anything? Tea? Milk? Crackers? Cereal?"

Danny managed to say, "Two bowls cereal? Uh. Half Fruit Loops and half Cheerios, with milk, and tea, and ask Becca if that works for her too. I'm not hungry, I really wonder if I'll ever be hungry again, please don't tell Grace or Charlie. Not yet. I gotta find out how to do this right. Their mom - how do I tell them?"

Becca burst into the room, and gave everyone a hug before zeroing in on Danny. "We'll figure it out," said Steve, Becca, and Hannah together while Angel purred sadly.

H50 H50 H50 H50

Hannah ended up taking Grace and Charlie to school while Steve ran a different errand. Becca had relayed to them that Danny didn't have proper mourning clothes, or shoes, and Steve organized the ultimate expedition to fill this lack, plus grab a few things for the rest of them, since they should all probably wear black something until this got sorted out. He called Danny's clothier, who got to work immediately getting everything Danny would need together. While Steve waited for alterations to be made, he got things for Charlie, for Grace, for Hannah and Becca, and for himself. It was the first time in his life he was glad for something called a Shopping Mall.

Becca called in sick, called her father, stayed with Danny, and they talked.

"She wasn't transitioning well," Danny said quietly. "Not that I thought she would. Her losses lately have been worse than mine. I have everything to live for, and she isn't, wasn't the type to see her current situation as a means of turning her … am I insensitive to use the word 'selfishness'? around." He squeezed Becca's hands as they sat together in the just-big-enough lounge chair to hold them and Angel. "Because she was selfish. She was selfish. She was also a lot of good things, but if she had one central fault, it was selfishness. And I knew it when I married her, but I was blind to how deep in her the trait ran."

Becca snuggled, in her plain blue scrub pants and subdued lighter blue scrub top, next to Danny. The arm of the chair was digging into her back, but she would have died before she admitted it. "But there are good memories, too."

Danny nodded once. "Yes. Yes, there are. And hopefully soon I will remember them more than what I am remembering. Because now she has left my kids motherless."

Becca was quiet for awhile before she sat up, and then straddled Danny. "No, she didn't, Danny. She didn't leave them motherless. I will be their mother now." She held up her left hand, with the ring sparkling on her ring finger. "I agreed to marry you, your kids, and your kitten. I keep my word. I love you. I love them. I love Angel. I want to have babies with you, more children to love." She entwined her ringed hand with his and pulled it up against her heart. "Feel that? It beats with love, and that includes for Rachel. I know how much she hurt you. Believe me, I know. She divorced you. She took Grace, twice, and hid Charlie from you. But she brought you all to me. And now, if I am being selfish, so be it, she is giving me what I want: a chance to marry you as a free man, in church, so we can put our lives ahead of us instead of carrying the baggage she was going to force us to live with. She refused to cooperate with the annulment you were seeking, trying to stop us from marrying in the church. But now we can, and we have a clear path. Her children will be loved, are loved, and there will be no more bad memories made, no anvil on your ankle, anchoring you to a painful past. She finally did something unselfish, even if she didn't mean to. She freed you. So now WE can really be US. We can be a real family. I'm sorry Rachel is gone, but I'm glad that something good will come out of it."

Danny stared up at Becca, felt her heartbeat through his hand, and the silent echo of her words in his ears and mind. "God, how I love you. You are right. She has freed me. And my kids still have a mother, who will soon be with them day and night. But that discussion comes later, dear Becca." He kissed her, a chaste kiss with heat. "Not too much later, but I need to talk to the therapist on how best to approach telling Grace and Charlie. I think I can tell Grace, but Charlie is another matter."

Becca kissed Danny the same way he had kissed her. She understood. But she will full of a soul-deep love. "You know I'll help you. But there's something you need to know." She was breathing hard.

"What's that?"

Becca's eyes were flashing with love. "I'm selfish, too. I love you. And if you asked me to release you, I would, though it would break me. Because living without you would be too unsatisfying, now that I have had a taste of your love, helped you through trials. Shared joy with you."

"We are soulmates."

Becca nodded, almost fiercely. And began to sing.**

"I'm trying to hold my breath.

Let it stay this way. Can't let this moment end.

You set off a dream in me.

Getting louder now.

Can you hear it, echoing?

Take my hand.

Will you share this with me?

'Cause, darling, without you…

All the shine of a thousand spotlights,

All the stars we steal from the night sky

Will never be enough

Never be enough.

Towers of gold are still too little.

These hands could hold the world and it will

Never be enough,

Never be enough

For me.

Never, never,

Never, never.

Never enough

For me.

For me…..

All the shine of a thousand spotlights,

All the stars we steal from the night sky

Will never be enough,

Never be enough.

Towers of gold are still too little.

These hands could hold the world and it'll

Never be enough,

Never be enough…..!

For me.

Never, never!

Never, never!

Never, never!

For me,

For me,

For me…!

For me."

When Becca's voice died down on the last two words, silence reverberated. Danny finally broke it. "You are so passionate. You can sing."

"I am passionate. And I was inspired."

"A capella. Loud! Beautifully! Passionately!"

Becca smiled, but stayed serious. Fiercely loving. "So, you see, I am selfish, too."

Danny swallowed. Twice. "But not in the same way as …."

"No."

"And I think you just proposed to me."

"I think I did!" She was still breathing hard, her eyes still flashing their love.

"Then my answer is, 'Yup!'"

Becca and Danny met in a kiss that sent Angel up to the top of the chaise, a kiss that was just managing to be chaste but had a lot to do with butterflies, too. "I love you," whispered Danny when they parted, the loudest whisper to reverberate on soulmates' eardrums. "I can live without you, Becca, but not with any happiness. Only you can fill this place in my heart, no one else, ever. And the place that Rachel once filled is a memory, and has been for a long time, even if I didn't realize it until I realized what I realized in the box. And even there, I thought of you so much. Only you, Becca, can fill my heart."

"I wish we could … right here, right now. I want you, Danny. But we can't. Yet."

"No. Not yet. But I want to."

"Rachel is barely …"

"Yes," agreed Danny firmly, his hands on Becca's hips, trying to get them to move back to her waist, while her hands were in his hair, and he didn't care that it was now tousled into a mess.

"If this had changed your mind about me … I don't know what I would have done."

"If you had changed your mind about me," husked out Danny, "I don't know what I would have done."

"Omigod!" said Steve, from the doorway, arms laden with bags and boxes of every size and description. He had been there for quite a while. "Get. A. Room!"

.

.

H50 H50

A/N: *I have seen cats do this sideways airborne defiance of gravity. As a, uhm, kid, I tried (keep that word in mind, because it hints at failure) to drop my cat in the little kiddie wading pool. I held him at arms' length outward, and dropped him straight down, and he landed _next_ to the pool about 4 feet away, and gave me an unloving look which literally translated would mean, " _ **Die**_ , you human scum. Do that again, and your legs are gonna be scratching posts." I never did it again. When I learned not to do things like that, he and I were besties for another 10 years, and I miss him to this day. And I've had cats ever since, and every one of them defied gravity.

A/N** Never Enough, from The Greatest Showman (Look up on youtube, Never Enough, Official Lyric Video). I heard it and knew it was for Becca and Danny. And I am addicted to it.


	75. Chapter 75 Hiatus Not Abandoned

Chapter 75 "On Hiatus But Not Abandoned"

A/N: I'm so sorry. This isn't a chapter, it is notice that it will be awhile longer before I can continue on the story. Real life has thrown a few minor wallops, and then it threw a really big one.

Once again I am asking for prayers, not for me, but for my older sister, who at this time is fighting that awful H1N1 ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which I call ultimate pneumonia on steroids). She's in ICU on a respirator, unconscious and intubated, with a feeding tube and half a dozen IVs. She was in critical for a while, but now is in stable, still can't breathe on her own, and they can only keep that intubation tube in there for so long before they have to switch it to a trach. I'm glad she doesn't realize what's going on, because frankly she's a horrible patient, so the real problems are going to start when (I can't get my head around "if") she makes enough progress that they can allow her to wake up. The doctor says that may be a few more weeks yet. "It's going to take a long time." WE know that they are all gonna wish she was back on the ventilator when (I know, I know, there's that awful "if" in there) she comes off it. A full recovery is not likely due to the amount of damage this has already done to her lungs. Nobody knows what's gonna happen, what her life will be like, if she shakes this as much as she can. The best we can hope for is months of recovery, the worst is a year or two. I won't stay on hiatus that long, just till she's out of the woods.

We've been dealing with this for awhile. This thing hits so fast, and so hard. Her lungs were okay, and less than fourx hours later she's in critical condition in the ICU, literally fighting for her life! She's stable now (like I said, we've been dealing with this for a while, and the doctor keeps telling us that "It's gonna take a long time.") They can't give us a prognosis. They don't know yet. Stable is good and bad. It means they have things steady so she's not getting worse, but she's not getting any better right now. But with this, not getting worse is good. We are very aware that people with cases of ARDS just like hers have died from this. It's horrible. It's like it's evil!

So please pray or send her good thoughts? I promise promise promise I will finish the story, but at this time I just have to call this a hiatus. I don't know when the next chapter will be up. I appreciate your patience. You are the best, kindest people. Thank you so very much for the prayers and well wishes. They are beyond appreciated.

Love,

Jean


End file.
